Rafa Nadal has left the tennis world devastated after taking to social media to announce he will miss his home tournament at the Madrid Masters next month, in a brutal blow for the 22-time grand slam champion’s French Open hopes. The 36-year-old Spaniard has not played since losing in the second round of the Australian Open in January, as he struggles to recover from a hip injury that has left fans fearing for the 36-year-old’s future.
Nadal is hoping for a record-extending 15th French Open title at Roland Garros in May, but the hip flexor problem he suffered in Melbourne has badly disrupted his preparation for the clay court grand slam. He pulled out of hard-court tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami, with his sights set on a return at the start of the clay-court season, but it did not come to fruition
The Spaniard has also been forced to withdraw from recent clay court tournaments in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, with his omission from the Madrid Masters the latest brutal blow for the 36-year-old. Nadal shared the news in a heartbreaking update on social media, where he explained that his recovery from the injury simply hadn’t progressed how his medical team had hoped.
“For the moment I’ve missed Monte Carlo and Barcelona. And unfortunately I won’t be able to be in Madrid either,” Nadal said on Instagram. “The injury still hasn’t healed.
