Rafael Nadal provides encouraging injury update with video message from Indian Wells
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has given his fans an inside look at his comeback by posting a video of himself practicing at Indian Wells. This comes after a year of battling multiple injuries that forced him to miss the competition last year.
The videos, which were shared on Instagram, show Nadal at Sensei Porcupine Creek, posing on the court and taking part in his first practice on the main court in Indian Wells.
Fans of the sport who have missed the Spanish player over the past year were thrilled to see the video. They also urged him to take it easy to avoid further damage to his surgically repaired hip. During a quarterfinal tie against Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International Nadal suffered a fresh injury to his hip, the same one he had surgery on a year ago.
It is the same issue that contributed to his defeat to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. Following this, he announced that he would pull out of Indian Wells and Miami to recover from the injury and try to get back into form. This led to Nadal dropping out of the top ten ATP rankings, ending an 18-year run – the longest in the history of the ATP.
He was originally set to make a comeback during the Monte Carlo Masters that season but had to pull out. Nadal also skipped the French Open, which saw him drop out of the top 100 for the first time since 2003. He missed Wimbledon, too, and didn’t qualify for the World Tour finals.
Nadal hinted at a return in 2024, suggesting it could be his final year as a professional player. He beat Dominic Thiem at the 2024 Brisbane International before withdrawing from the Grand Slam in Melbourne.
