22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will miss this year’s Australian Open and instead return to Spain for treatment on a hip injury he sustained at the Brisbane International.
After missing nearly a year due to injuries, Rafael Nadal, 37, finally returned this week, winning his first two matches in Brisbane in straight sets. But he was injured in his quarter-final loss to Jordan Thompson on Friday.
Nadal said a scan had shown a micro tear on a muscle but not in the same area as his previous long-term injury.
Before his first-round victory over Dominic Thiem, the Spaniard had not played a singles match in 349 days. While he called the outcome “good news,” he said that he was “not ready to compete at the maximum level.”
After missing the French Open for the first time in 19 years, he declared in May that 2024 would “probably” be his last year of competition. This suggests he may have already competed in his final Australian Open, which he has won twice.
Despite the fact that his most recent injury felt a lot like the one that caused “one of the toughest years” of his remarkable career, it turns out that it is not as serious as he first thought.
“I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in three months,” 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal said on social media.
“Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowds, this is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season.
“I really wanted to play in Australia and I have had the chance to play a few matches that made me very happy and positive.
“Thanks all for the support and see you soon!”
The Australian Open starts in Melbourne on Sunday, 14 January.
Nadal will now focus on returning to fitness in time for the French Open, which begins on 20 May and where he is a record 14-time champion.
His most recent appearance at a Grand Slam was the 2023 Australian Open, when he struggled with injury in a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald. That was his final appearance on court before having an operation on his left hip in June and the former world number one has since slipped to 672nd in the rankings.
With Nadal’s withdrawal, this will be the first Australian Open since 1999 without either Nadal or Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, featuring in the men’s singles main draw.
