Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Australian Open after suffering a minor muscle tear in his hip at this week’s Brisbane International.
The injury occurred three matches into Nadal’s return from a year-long absence caused by a tear to the psoas muscle in his left hip, sustained at last year’s Australian Open, on which he underwent surgery last June. However, an MRI scan undertaken in Melbourne revealed that the latest problem is not connected to that injury, and the 37-year-old will now return home to Spain for treatment.
“During my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried,” Nadal said in a statement released on social media. “Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have [a] micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.
“Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of [intensity] in five-set matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest.”
Nadal’s commanding performances in Brisbane, where he defeated Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler in straight sets before missing three match points in an epic late-night loss to Jordan Thompson, added a further ripple of excitement to the wave of interest in his return, and his absence at Melbourne Park, where two of his 22 grand slam titles have come, will be keenly felt. Yet he has made it clear from the outset that the clay-court season is his main objective, and on that score Nadal’s statement struck an encouragingly optimistic note.
“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,” wrote Nadal.
“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 here in Australia and I have had the chance to play a few matches that made me very happy and positive.”
While the priority for this season remains a tilt at a 15th French Open crown and a chance to compete at the Paris Olympics, which will also be played at Roland Garros, the longer-term picture is more difficult to assess. Nadal suggested last summer that this season would probably be the last of his career and, although he has since left the door open to play on if his physical condition allows it, much will no doubt depend on how quickly and how well he recovers from his latest injury setback.