Rafael Nadal to miss home tournament in Barcelona, struggles with injury return continue as French Open nears
Rafael Nadal announced on Friday that he will be unable to play his home tournament on the clay courts of Barcelona as he struggles to make a return to professional tennis after sustaining a hip injury during his second-round loss at the Australian Open.
“Barcelona is a special tournament for me, because it is my adopted club and because playing at home is always a unique feeling. I am still not ready and, therefore, I continue my preparation process for the return to competition,” he wrote in a social media post. Incidentally, the showpiece court at the Barcelona tennis club is named after him – Pa Rafa Nadal.
The withdrawal is the latest setback in his attempt to be at 100% match fitness and sharpness to defend his French Open title in May, where he will be vying to win a 15th crown, and take the outright lead in the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam race. He is currently level with Novak Djokovic at 22 Major titles.
The Spaniard was also forced to withdraw from events in Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami earlier this year, which led to him dropping out of the top 10 of the ATP rankings for the first time since he entered in 2005, ending a remarkable 18-year run, far the longest in the sport’s hory. In 2023, Nadal has played only four matches and won only one, and been out of professional competition since January.
Expected to make his return on clay to be 100% fit for the French Open, Nadal missed out on playing the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters, and much like last year, he will now also miss the ATP 500 event in Barcelona. Earlier this week, Spanish publication AS had reported that he is expected to be back for the double-header of Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome prior to travelling to Paris.
The last time he won a Masters 1000 event on clay was in 2019, but he has kept his stranglehold on the French Open, where he has been champion five of the last six years.
After his remarkable injury comeback last year, Nadal has spent the majority of the last 12 months on the sidelines – first due to an abdominal tear, and now due to hip problems. That led to two early ex at Slams – fourth round at the US Open last year and second round at the Australian Open this year – as well as him having no considerable momentum behind him for every tournament he has played.
He was able to win the French Open from a similar situation last year, but as age and physical limitations continue to pile up, he will need to beat the odds in Paris once again.
