"I am sorry to announce that I will not be able to be in Rome," wrote Nadal (36), already forfeited in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid since the beginning of the season on ochre. "Despite an improvement in recent days, I have not been able to train at a high level for many months, the recovery process takes time and I have no choice but to accept it and continue to work," continued the Spaniard with fourteen record trophies at Roland-Garros.
The former world No. 1 now 14th has not appeared in competition since his defeat in the second round of the Australian Open in mid-January against American Mackenzie McDonald in three sets. He felt a sharp pain in his hip in the second set but went all the way to the end of the match when he was visibly struggling to move.
His absence was then assessed at six to eight weeks, but his injury to the ilio-psoas muscle in his left leg proved more stubborn than expected.
In the twilight of his exceptional career, "Rafa" nevertheless hopes to celebrate once again, on June 3, his birthday at Roland-Garros, where he would aim for a 15th title to bring to 23 the record of Grand Slam titles, which he currently co-holds with Novak Djokovic.
Since the 2022 edition of Roland-Garros, where he triumphed despite a left foot anesthetized to contain the pain caused by the chronic ailment he has suffered since the age of 18 (Müller-Weiss syndrome), Nadal continues to accumulate physical glitches. An abdominal tear forced him to withdraw from playing his semi-final at Wimbledon a month later.
His long absence from the courts took him out of the top 10 of the ATP rankings on March 20, for the first time since April 2005.
© 2023 AFP