Rafael Nadal makes ‘discomfort’ confession as he casts doubt over comeback plan
Rafael Nadal has admitted he has dealt with “discomfort” in recent weeks and is “a little bit on the limit” as he suggested he may not make his return as early as planned.
The Spanish great revealed he will make a “last minute decision” on whether he will play in Doha and divulged that every injury blow he suffers is a mental blow.
Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Australian Open due to a hip muscle injury that surfaced during his comeback at the Brisbane International last month.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion was beaten by world No 55 Jordan Thompson at the ATP 250 event in Brisbane in a three-set quarter-final contest.
The 37-year-old had not played a singles match since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, where he sustained a hip injury. The Spaniard underwent arthroscopic surgery to treat the psoas muscle in his hip in June 2023.
The Spaniard had been expected to return from his hip setback next week as he has entered the hard-court ATP 250 tournament in Doha that will begin on February 19.
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In an interview with LaSexta, Nadal declared he was unsure whether he would be ready to compete in Qatar, but was hopeful he would feature at Indian Wells next month.
“I have had some discomfort in recent weeks and I am a little bit on the limit. At this point, every blow I take, every injury, is a setback not only in tennis and physically, but also mentally,” the former world No 1 explained.
“I trust 100% to be in Indian Wells, it is a very special tournament for me. I don’t know if it will be the last time I am going to play it, so I would like to be in Indian Wells, for sure.
“I would love to be in Doha, but I will see the decision for Doha more at the last minute. I will travel to Indian Wells if there is nothing wrong, for sure.
“My priority goal, which is what I said from the beginning, is to get to the clay season as healthy as possible. I want to try to give myself the option to enjoy the clay season.”
Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya outlined why the hard-court tournament in Doha was selected over clay-court events in South America for Nadal’s intended return.
“Surface changes are not easy. While it is true that land should be better for your joints, going from fast (hard courts) to land (clay courts), to go back to the US [for Indian Wells] and then back to land, we thought it was a bit excessive,” the Spaniard told Punto de Break.
“That’s why we chose to make this calendar, without so much change of surface.”
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