Nadal: ‘I can’t confirm I’ll be in Monte-Carlo’

“We’re eager to welcome the legend Rafael Nadal. He is definitely able to win his 12th trophy in Monte Carlo despite…his last injury.”

On Thursday, March 23, in the early afternoon, the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 brightened the day of Nadal fans, and tennis fans globally, by publicly confirming the participation of the Spaniard in the tournament. This announcement was in line with the videos circulating on social media of “Rafa” intensifying his training sessions.

But they may have been a little premature. He has not yet made his decision. With a psoas injury picked up during the Australian Open and keeping him away from the tour since then, he said he is not yet sure of his plans.

“I don’t know who came up with this information,” he said (in Spanish, translated by Tennis Majors), according to Marca, during a trip to Palma de Mallorca for his foundation on Monday. “If it were true, I would confirm. Unfortunately, I cannot confirm it. My recovery is on track, but I do not know when I will play again (in competition). I’m in a work intensification phase. If I knew when I could make my return, I would say so. But I don’t know.

“I can’t confirm that I will be in Monte Carlo,” he added. “I’m taking it day by day. I prefer to say things when I’m sure.”

Since his absence from the tour, he has fallen out of the top 10 for the first time since he entered it in 2005, a record 912-week run.

He entered the world’s top 10 on April 24, 2005 – the day after the first of his 11 titles in Monte-Carlo. Since his first appearance there in 2003, he has only missed the event twice: in 2004 and 2022, both times for injuries, to the foot and the abdominals respectively.

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