Highlights:
- Rafael Nadal will not be participating in the upcoming BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open due to a left hip flexor injury.
- Nadal expressed his sadness on Twitter and is focused on recovering from his injury.
- Nadal’s next Grand Slam is the French Open, where he has won a record 14 times and is tied with Djokovic for most men’s Grand Slam singles titles.
On Tuesday, Rafael Nadal, the renowned tennis player, revealed that he will not be participating in the upcoming BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California and the Miami Open in Miami Gardens, Florida.
In a tweet, Nadal expressed his disappointment in not being able to compete in the tournaments, but also mentioned his ongoing efforts to recover from the injury.
I am sad that I won’t be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 28, 2023
Very sad not to be there. I’ll miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing. pic.twitter.com/v6dsf1ayTI
According to ESPN, Nadal has not been playing since January’s Australian Open due to a left hip flexor issue. This injury occurred during a surprising second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open, which put an early end to Nadal’s bid to win back-to-back Australian Open titles.
Rafael Nadal’s next opportunity to compete in a Grand Slam event won’t be until late May or early June, when the French Open takes place. As a player who has won the French Open a record 14 times, this event is undoubtedly one that the Spaniard would love to participate in. It is worth noting that Nadal is currently tied with Novak Djokovic for the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles of the Open Era, with 22 to his name.
The 2023 BNP Paribas Open is scheduled to start on March 6th, and Nadal’s absence from the event means that one of the tournament’s most successful players in history will not be participating. Nadal has won the tourney three times, which makes him one of only five men’s players to accomplish this feat. In the previous year’s edition, he made it to the final, but surprisingly lost to American Taylor Fritz.
Read | 10 Best Ludo Earning Apps That Offer Big Rewards
Starting on March 19, the 2023 Miami Open will be one of the few events that Rafael Nadal has yet to win. Despite making it to the final five times, the Spanish player has never managed to clinch the title.
Given Nadal’s ambition to compete in the 2023 French Open, it’s plausible that he may be planning to make a comeback during the clay-court season. This would give him the opportunity to play in several warm-up tournaments before the major event.