Rafael Nadal to miss Barcelona as he continues recovery from hip injury
The Spaniard will hope to return in Madrid, as he did in 2022
Nadal suffered a hip injury at the 2023 Australian Open that brought the beginning of the end to his career, AI/Reuters/Panoramic
Rafael Nadal’s preparations for Roland-Garros suffered another blow on Friday when he announced his withdrawal from next week’s Barcelona Open.
The 36-year-old is still recovering from the hip injury (iliopsoas muscle) he suffered at the Australian Open in January.
“Barcelona is a special tournament for me, because it is my adopted club and because playing at home is always a unique feeling,” Nadal said in a statement on social media. “I am still not ready and, therefore, I continue my preparation process for the return to competition.”
The next available tournament for Nadal is the Madrid Masters, which begins on April 26. The Rome Masters, which follows immediately, would be his only other event before he hopes to play at Roland-Garros, where he has won the title a record 14 times.
Perhaps the only good news for Nadal fans is that he also missed Monte-Carlo and Barcelona last year through injury, only to return in Madrid and then go on to win the title in Paris.
Nadal is tied with Novak Djokovic on 22 Grand Slam titles after the Serb pulled level with victory in Melbourne in January.
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