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    Rafael Nadal gives update on nasty muscle tear injury and reveals when he will return

    Emma TeeBy No Comments2 Mins Read

    • Rafael Nadal provides an update on nasty muscle tear injury and reveals when he will return after Australian Open exit

    Rafael Nadal gives update on nasty muscle tear injury and reveals when he will return
    Rafael Nadal gives update on nasty muscle tear injury and reveals when he will return

    After suffering a hip flexor injury during his unexpected second-round defeat at the 2023 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal is expected to be out for six to eight weeks.

    Despite being the tournament’s top seed and having won 22 consecutive major tournaments, the 22-time major winner was unable to successfully defend his title at Melbourne Park and was defeated in straight sets by American world No. 65 Mackenzie McDonald.

    His wife Maria was seen sobbing in the audience as the 36-year-old Spaniard, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, admitted he was “destroyed mentally” after suffering his first Grand Slam exit in seven years.

    Nadal has now provided an update on his serious muscle rip injury and is expected to be out for up to eight weeks. This makes him questionable for Indian Wells at the beginning of March, but he will be able to play again in time for the French Open.

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    ‘He will be resting once back in Spain and will start with anti-inflammatory physiotherapy,’ Nadal’s team said in a statement with the tennis legend not due to come back to the ATP Tour until sometime in March.

    ‘The normal time estimated for a complete recuperation is between six and eight weeks.’

    The statement follows an MRI scan Nadal had on his left leg on Thursday which revealed the grade two injury in his iliopsoas muscle.

    Nadal, speaking after his Australian Open exit, revealed that he did not want to retire through injury during his second-round defeat to McDonald.

    ‘I can’t say that I’m not destroyed mentally at this time because I will be lying,’ Nadal said. ‘It’s hard for me.

    ‘I considered it all the time, stopping… I just wanted to finish the match. That’s it… I didn’t want to retire, to be the defending champion here. I didn’t want to leave the court with a retirement. I have been a couple of days like this [with injury]. But nothing like today in that movement.’