Rafael Nadal confirms terrible news: ‘I’m skipping Roland Garros’
(Provided by Tennis World USA)
As was expected, Rafael Nadal confirmed his Roland Garros withdrawal during his press conference on Thursday! A 22-time Major champion told the media at home in Mallorca that he could not recover from a severe hip injury in time for his beloved Major, not traveling to Paris for the first time since 2004! Thus, Nadal will skip the ninth tournament in a row, losing almost all of his points and dropping out from the top-100 after Roland Garros for the first time in two decades. Rafa has been going through the worst period of his career, dealing with injuries and struggling to recover and compete injury-free.
Rafa is a 14-time Roland Garros winner, suffering three losses from 18 trips to Paris and dominating like no one before him at a single Major. The Spaniard needed foot injections during the last year’s Roland Garros campaign, overcoming all the obstacles and securing his 22nd Major crown.
Nadal injured his left hip at the Australian Open in January, missing nine tournaments and the entire clay swing despite trying everything to recover. Rafa is still eager to extend his career despite turning 37 soon, hoping to recover and make a fresh start when he feels the moment is right.
Rafael Nadal is out of Roland Garros for the first time in 19 years!
Nadal struggled with injuries in 2022 and still conquered the opening two Majors for the first time in a career. Rafa led the ATP Race and had a great chance to become world no.
1 at 36. Instead, the Spaniard experienced an abdominal tear at Wimbledon, ruining his progress. Nadal withdrew ahead of the semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios, and we are yet to see him at that level again. Rafa has played only 13 matches since last August, never finding the rhythm and encountering more disappointments.
The Spaniard lost four consecutive encounters at the end of 2022 for the first time since 2009 and could not improve his…
Source : tennisworldusa
