Nadal quits Madrid Open

Withdrawal from the Madrid Open leaves Nadal with only the Rome Masters to prepare for Roland Garros this season.

"The injury has not healed and I can't do the things necessary for the competition," Nadal said in a video posted on his personal page on April 20. "I've returned to training but we decided to change course a few days ago. The team will see if things improve."

Nadal has been injured since January 19, when he lost the second round of the Australian Open. He was later diagnosed with eight weeks to heal his hip injury. But by this time, Nadal's number of weeks off has doubled. The 36-year-old has missed seven scheduled events in the past three months.

Nadal said there was a time when he thought he would attend the most important tournaments of his career in Barcelona, ​​Monte Carlo or Madrid. "Unfortunately, things were worse than expected," added Nadal. "I can't give a return date yet. If I know, I'll let you know."

The 22 Grand Slam owner emphasized that he is still keeping a positive attitude during treatment. Nadal took a break last year for most of the clay season, but still managed to attend the Madrid Open and then won the 14th Roland Garros. According to Spanish media, if he doesn't attend the Rome Masters, Nadal will face many risks at the Grand Slam. clay this year. Even when attending Roland Garros, the "clay king" is likely to soon face big opponents, because he is not seeded high.

Nadal dropped out of the top 10 ATP last month - something that hasn't happened since 2005. During his career, Nadal has missed Roland Garros 2004 and 2016 both due to injury.