Rafael Nadal has an eye on clay swing in withdrawing from Australian Open

Former WTA pro Barbara Schett believes that Rafael Nadal has made his Australian Open withdrawal call in order to spare what could be his final clay swing.

Nadal has the chance to compete at Roland Garros twice this season in a once-in-a-lifetime shot thanks to the Olympics.

A reoccurrence of an old muscle injury has seen Nadal withdraw, but Schett remains hopeful that we will see the Spaniard in his pomp on clay at least one last time.

“I was just sitting together with my family having a beautiful dinner here in Australia, and then the terrible news arrived that Rafa Nadal has to pull out of the Australian Open,” Schett said on a Eurosport broadcast.

“We know that he had some tough matches in Brisbane and had some problems with his injury, and he got an MRI done and it showed that there was a micro tear in his muscle. Once again, it’s the old injury, which is back, and of course he doesn’t want to risk anything; that’s why he wants to go back to Spain.

“We will not see him at the Australian Open, which is horrible for the fans. Of course, tennis fans have been waiting for him for so long, for the fans in Melbourne and also for the tournament.

“It’s really, really tough news, especially knowing that this is going to be his last year.

“We won’t see him back here on the court at the Australian Open, but I do understand that he wants to make sure that his body is fit.

“We know that he puts the emphasis on the clay-court season. He wants to play well there, he wants to be fit and healthy. He wants to compete in the Olympics as well, so he has to rest up.”

Schett believes that fans of Nadal will fear that his 2024 campaign won’t be the kind of farewell that the 22-time Grand Slam champion deserves.

“It’s sad for us but he needs to do what he has to do, [but] one thing is for sure, we will see him again,” Schett said.

“Maybe not live here at the Australian Open, but hopefully at the French Open worst case scenario, we will see him on TV, on Eurosport, that’s for sure.”

Nadal played three matches in Brisbane winning his return contest against Dominic Thiem before besting Australian Jason Kubler and then going down to Jordan Thompson in a three-set last eight battle where he appeared to sustain the injury.

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