The injury, the exact physical ailment that forced the 22-time Grand Slam champion to retire from his quarterfinal encounter against Marin Cilic at the 2018 Australian Open, is expected to keep Nadal out of action for the next 6-8 weeks minimum.
Rafael Nadal made the announcement through his Twitter handle, adding that he will be seeking anti-inflammatory physiotherapy to facilitate a proper recovery.
What that means is that the Mallorcan will have to skip the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, which he had signed up for before the Melbourne Major. Ideally, the World No. 2 could be back in time for the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, but whether the 36-year-old will want to play those hardcourt tournaments immediately on his comeback remains to be seen.
More realistically, the former World No. 1 could return to action at the European Clay swing, taking a long-enough break to recover physically and ease his way through the tour on a surface he is more comfortable playing on. Interestingly, an injury suffered in Indian Wells last year forced Rafael Nadal to skip the start of the clay season, making him miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.
“I like what I do, I like playing tennis” - Rafael Nadal after Australian Open exit
Speaking at his press conference after the loss against Mackenzie McDonald, Rafael Nadal had removed all doubts over his potential retirement, stating that he still liked tennis and being competitive on the court. That was where the Spaniard found the motivation every day to keep fighting, even if it meant he had to face painful losses every once in a while.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion also refused to use the word “sacrifice” in the context of his tennis career, remarking that he had always liked dedicating himself to the sport and that he hadn’t given up on anything for it.
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