Doubts have been cast over Rafael Nadal’s chances of winning the Australian Open as he continues to nurse a back problem less than 24 hours before the tournament begins.
The world No.2 was forced to pull out of the ATP Cup earlier this week after what he described as a ‘block’ in his back. Nadal says he has been blighted by the issue since one of his practice sessions in Adelaide where he spent his quarantine. The Spaniard’s only taste of competitive tennis so far this year has been at an exhibition tournament where he defeated Dominic Thiem in straight sets on January 29th.
Providing an update on his current fitness on Sunday, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he is doing everything he can to be ready for the tournament but there are concerns.
“It’s true that for the last 15 days I have been suffering with my back,” he said.
“I tried a little bit today to serve again. I’m doing everything that’s possible to be ready for it (the Australian Open). That’s the only thing that I can say. I am still hoping to keep improving and hope to be ready for it.”
Nadal says his ‘positive feelings’ generated over recent weeks have started to disappear following his latest injury setback. It is unclear as to what the exact issue is with his back. He explains that one of his muscles still feels tight and therefore it is having an impact on his movement around the court. Nadal is currently receiving treatment from a doctor and physio.
“I have been practicing great I think for a lot of weeks and I’m disappointed about what happened the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“The whole positive feeling that I had one-and-a-half, two weeks ago has now disappeared a little bit because I was not able to practice the right way. At the same time I’m still not having the best feeling possible on the back.”
The 34-year-old will start his campaign at the Australian Open against Laslo Djere in what will be their first ever meeting. Should the draw go according to the seedings, he could play Dan Evans in the third round followed by either Fabio Fognini or Alex de Minaur.
Perhaps the only consolation for Nadal is that he has grown accustomed to dealing with injury both during and prior tournaments. Past problems he has experienced in his career includes injuries related to the shoulder, wrist, abdomen, hamstring, right ankle and hamstring.
“Of course, it’s not the ideal situation to start a tournament with problems. A demanding tournament like this one,playing best-of-five, everything,” Nadal admits.
“The only thing that I can do is stay positive, work on the recovery, do all the things that I can and then hope the situation will improve.”
Nadal will start his Australian Open campaign on Tuesday. He is seeking to win the tournament for the first time since 2009.
