The date of Rafael Nadal’s return to professional tennis is still up in the air after two media sources reported that he will not be ready in time to play at the Barcelona Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been absent from the Tour since his second round loss to MacKenzie Mcdonald at the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury. Shortly after that tournament he was diagnosed with a grade two tear in his iliacus psoas and was given an estimated recovery time of up to eight weeks.
However, Nadal continues to be troubled by the issue with his recovery taking longer than initially expected. According to Cadena SER the former world No.1 is set to skip playing at the Barcelona Open next week which has a court named after him. It is understood that he continues to have good and bad days but is not at a level to compete competitively.
“His team has confirmed to Cadena SER the difficulties he is going through due to his psoas injury since he is not 100% well,” the website reported. “This raises doubts about the dates of his return to the courts since there are days when he is better and others when he does not find good feelings. What is clear is that to avoid future problems, the Spaniard plans to postpone his return as long as necessary, seeking to feel comfortable on the court again.”
Meanwhile, in a separate report from sports newspaper Diario AS, sources said that the tennis star was ‘90%’ likely to miss Barcelona due to his current circumstances. Nadal also pulled out of the event last year due to a rib issue.
It is still unknown as to if Nadal will be ready in time for the Madrid Masters which is the most prestigious tennis event held in his home country. That tournament will begin in just over a week. He has previously said that his main goal is to be fully fit in time for the French Open where he will be seeking a record 15th title.
Due to his recent absence, the 36-year-old exited the top 10 last month for the first time since 2005. He is currently ranked 15th in the world.
