Rafael Nadal will not be competing at the Monte Carlo Masters later this week. The Spaniard took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to officially break the news.
Here’s the translated version of his tweet:
“Hi everyone, I’m still not ready to compete at the highest level. I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo. I am not yet in a position to play with the maximum guarantees and I continue my preparation process, hoping to return soon.”
Hola a todos, aún no me encuentro preparado para competir al más alto nivel. No podré jugar en uno de los torneos más importantes de mi carrera, Monte Carlo. No estoy aún en condiciones de jugar con las máximas garantías y continúo mi proceso preparación, esperando volver pronto
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 4, 2023
Rafael Nadal hasn’t competed since a serious hip injury contributed to his second-round exit at the Australian Open back in January.
There were hopes that he would return for the Sunshine Double last month but to no avail. With the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s preferred clay-court season beginning this month, at the very least, there was an expectation that he’d be ready for Monte Carlo — a tournament he has won 11 times.
The Monte Carlo Masters Twitter account also posted that Nadal would be competing to which the latter later refuted, having now confirmed he’ll miss it entirely.
The Barcelona Open takes place right after Monte Carlo and should Nadal miss that tournament as well, the Madrid Open (April 24-May 7) and Italian Open (May 8-15) are still events he can take part in leading up to Roland Garros.
The French Open commences May 21 and the 12-time winner recently provided a positive update that he hoped to see everyone there and that he would try to be competitive.
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