Rafael Nadal has been told the harsh truth after pulling out of next week’s Barcelona Open. The world No 15 hasn’t played a match since getting injured in January and has instead continued to delay his comeback, with time running out before the French Open. Express Sport tennis fans have now given Nadal a brutal reality check, claiming that he has reached his “physical limit”.
Nadal is currently dealing with his fourth injury problem in the last 13 months after hurting his leg during his Australian Open second-round defeat. It comes after the Spaniard dealt with problems in his rib, foot and abdomen during the 2022 season and barely played after pulling out of his Wimbledon semi-final.
The 36-year-old managed to work around his physical woes at the start of last year, winning the Australian Open after a six-month injury layoff. He then lifted a 14th French Open crown while using numbing injections on his problematic foot. But he has been less successful at managing the issues this season.
It has led Express Sport readers to make a damning decision, as 67 per cent voted that they were worried Nadal had reached his “physical limit”. Nadal himself revealed that he did not yet believe he could return without the fear of picking up another injury when he made a statement about his Monte Carlo withdrawal almost two weeks ago.
