Rafael Nadal has confirmed his withdrawal from the French Open in a press conference on May much to the dismay of the tennis community. The record 14-time winner of the only Grand Slam played on clay has been sidelined since hurting his left hip flexor during a second-round loss at the Australian Open on January 18th. He explained in a social media video that his ongoing battle to recover from the tear in his psoas muscle in his lower abdomen and upper right leg had not gone as planned.
The initial time to recover was said to be two months, with Nadal supposedly returning at the Monte Carlo Masters. He has already missed the Indian Wells, Monte Carlo Masters, Barcelona Open, and the Madrid Masters.
The Spaniard will now miss this year’s French Open, starting on 28th May, for the first time since winning it on his debut in 2005. “The evolution of the injury I sustained in Australia has not gone as I would have liked. I have lost goals along the way, and Roland Garros becomes impossible,” as stated in a press conference.
Nadal’s record at the French Open is 112-3, the most for a grand slam tournament, unmatched by any man or woman across the history of the sport.
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Rafael Nadal’s French Open stats
He won title in French Open on his debut in 2005 and won four consecutive titles till 2009, where his 31-match unbeaten run at the French Open ended with a fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling.
The 36-year-old was troubled by knee tendinitis and abdominal injuries that year, which turned out to be issues that would pursue him for a long while. He won the French Open again consecutively from 2010-2014, equalling Pete Sampras’ record of 9 Roland Garros titles. 2015 saw the Spaniard bow out in the French Open quarters to Novak Djokovic. Also Read: “Djoker Got Screwed Out Of The Game,” Former Tennis Star Thinks Novak Djokovic’s Vaccination Stance Cost Him Grand Slams
He withdrew from the Slam in the year 2016 in the third round due to a persisting wrist injury, making it the first year he did not reach the quarters of any slam since 2004. He continued his winning streak from 2017-2020, making it 13 French Open titles and a record-equalling 20 men’s Grand Slam titles overall.
2022 saw him beat debut Slam finalist Casper Rudd in straight sets, extending his own record to 14 French Open titles and 22 Grand Slam titles. The Spaniard suggested that 2024 may be his last season as a professional and added that he would be further extending his break from the game to try and speed up the recovery.
“That’s my idea,” he said. “Even that, I can’t say that 100 percent it’s going to be like this because you never know what is going to happen, but my idea and motivation is to try to enjoy and to try to say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important to me in my tennis career.”
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