‘Normal recovery time 6 to 8 weeks’: Rafael Nadal confirms grade 2 muscle tear in his left leg

Rafael Nadal may spend 6-8 weeks out of competitive action again, after suffering a Grade 2 tear in the iliopsoas muscle in his left leg.
Confirming the injury, Nadal took to Twitter on Thursday and wrote, “Good afternoon. I have carried out medical tests after the defeat yesterday. The MRI shows a grade 2 lesion in the Iliacus Psoas of his left leg. Now it’s sports rest and anti-inflammatory physiotherapy. Normal recovery time 6 to 8 weeks.”
The Spaniard was a set and break down during his second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at the 2023 Australian Open when he crouched down in pain clutching his hip. A lengthy match timeout for treatment, and a laboured performance to get past the finish line, were both indicative that the injury he suffered was serious. In his post-match press conference he confirmed the pain was in his hip, but he was unsure of the extent of the injury.

Buenas tardes. He realizado pruebas médicas tras la derrota en el día de ayer. La resonancia magnética muestra una lesión grado 2 en el Psoas Iliaco de su pierna izquierda. Ahora toca reposo deportivo y fisioterapia anti inflamatoria. Tiempo normal de recuperación 6 a 8 semanas. pic.twitter.com/xwcKSyTzhp
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 19, 2023
Nadal, alongside his doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro, stayed back in Melbourne to get medical tests that revealed it was not an impact injury or a joint issue, but actually, a muscle tear, for which rehabilitation and recovery tend to take a longer, more complicated time.
The Grade 2 tear comes in his in the iliopsoas muscle of his left leg, which joins the abdomen to the thigh. It is a flexor muscle for the hip, confirming Nadal’s suspicion during the match. The Spaniard felt his movement in his hip, especially during his backhand motion, was severely restricted ever since he went down in the second set.

The setback is a huge blow for Nadal, who already trying to make a comeback from an abdominal injury that affected him in the second half of 2022. After losing seven of his last nine matches, he has fallen out of the top 5 of the world rankings, and with 1,100 more ranking points to defend between now and March, he risks losing his running world-record stint in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, that currently stands at 904 weeks.
Nadal will now presumably return directly during the European clay summer in April, to play the three Masters 1000s, and his personal favourite tuneup event in Barcelona, before the French Open. But his form and level will both be uncertain.