Rafael Nadal, injured in his hip at the Australian Open in January, announced Thursday on Instagram that he will not participate in the Masters 1000 in Madrid (April 24-May 7) because he is still not recovered from this injury, referring to “difficult weeks and months”. In question, an injury to the psoas, a flexor muscle of the hip.
“So far I’ve missed (the tournaments in) Monte Carlo and Barcelona. And, unfortunately, I won’t be able to be in Madrid either,” the 36-year-old Spaniard said in a video accompanied by a text posted on Instagram where he explains that “the wound is still untreated” and that he couldn’t “work hard enough to be able to play competitively” as Roland-Garros looms (May 28-June 11), which he has won 14 times.
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“The situation is not what we had hoped for. We followed all the medical prescriptions, but, for some unknown reason, the injury did not evolve as we had been told at the beginning and we ended up in a difficult situation,” added the Majorcan, who hoped first resume after six to eight weeks. At the twilight of his career, Nadal, holder of the record for grand slam victories (22) with Novak Djokovic, hopes to celebrate his 37th birthday at Roland-Garros on June 3. At the Porte d’Auteuil tournament, he is aiming for a 15th title.