Rafael Nadal to skip Australian Open 2024 due to ‘micro tear on muscle’

Rafael Nadal on Sunday pulled out of the upcoming Australian Open due to a “micro tear on a muscle” but remained hopeful of competing in the rest of the season. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion known for his dominance on clay, had only recently made a comeback after a year-long absence during the Brisbane International. The Spanish tennis icon lost the doubles match on comeback but went as far as the quarter-finals in the singles competition before bowing out with a 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in a marathon encounter against Jordan Thompson. It was in the quarter-final defeat against Thompson that Nadal suffered an injury scare, requiring a medical timeout in the third set. The 37-year-old later underwent an MRI scan in Melbourne, where a micro tear was discovered on a muscle that has ruled out the possibility of him playing physically-taxing five-set encounters at the Australian Open that gets underway later this month. “Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news. “Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in 5 sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest,” Nadal wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.
Right… pic.twitter.com/WpApfzjf3C

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) January 7, 2024

Nadal clarified the fact that the said micro muscle tear was not on the same part of the body as was the case last year, when he injured his hip during a second-round exit at Melbourne . The veteran player had to subsequently undergo hip surgery in Barcelona that ruled him out of the remainder of the year. The ‘King of Clay’ however, remained hopeful of competing in the remainder of the season, in which he’ll hope to stretch his French Open title count to 15. Read | Rafael Nadal says he can't confirm 2024 would be his final season “I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in 3 months. “Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowds, this is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season. “I really wanted to play here in Australia and I have had the chance to play a few matches that made me very happy and positive,” Nadal added. Nadal had won the Australian Open for a second time after defeating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the final of the 2022 edition at the iconic Rod Laver Arena.