Rafael Nadal’s outfit for Indian Wells has been revealed ahead of his expected return
Rafael Nadal’s outfit for the 2024 Indian Wells Masters has been revealed, with the tennis legend expected to return to action at the Masters 1000 tournament.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion made his long-awaited comeback at the Brisbane International last month, where he reached the quarter-finals. The 37-year-old withdrew from the 2024 Australian Open due to a hip muscle injury that surfaced during his loss to Jordan Thompson in Brisbane.
Prior to Brisbane, Nadal had not played a singles match for almost a year — since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, where he sustained a hip injury. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to treat the psoas muscle in his hip in June 2023.
The former world No 1 missed the French Open for the first time since 2004 last year as he was forced to postpone his planned comeback from injury during the clay-court season.
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Nadal hoped to make his return from his latest setback at the ATP 250 tournament in Doha next week, but he announced his withdrawal on Wednesday.
“I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans, have always supported me greatly,” said Nadal in a social media post.
“Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win in 2014. I will focus on keep working to be ready for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the amazing Indian Wells tournament.”
The Spaniard is now expected to feature next at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells next month, which will run from March 6-17.
According to the tennis_street Instagram account, which shares the outfits of professional players, Nadal’s on-court clothing range for Indian Wells has been finalised.
The 37-year-old will wear a red shirt, shorts in a very light purple colour, and black shoes featuring white and pink. Nadal will reportedly also sport this outfit for the Masters 1000 event in Miami if he plays, which seems unlikely given the tournament’s proximity to the start of the European clay-court season.
The 14-time French Open champion recently stressed that arriving in the best shape possible for this year’s edition of Roland Garros is his priority.
“What I want to play and what I am going to play is very different. What I wanted my calendar to be is not going to be. It will be what it can be,” he told Cope.
“My hope is to play the clay season in acceptable conditions and today’s decision is aimed at that. I’m talking about being healthy, not being competitive. There are many very exciting tournaments on land and I hope to visit Madrid.
“I will play what I can within my reality and within an objective vision that I cannot lose sight of that I want to play Roland Garros. I will assume the minimum risks to be able to play Roland Garros in an optimal way.
“This is going to be my last year but I don’t confirm it 100%. I will go day by day. I’ll say it before Roland Garros. I give myself a few months of caution. You know that things can happen, so I can’t define things months in advance after a year without competing.”
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