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Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal’s participation in the upcoming French Open has once again been called into question following the release of a video that showed him struggling with physical issues during a recent practice session at his academy in Majorca. In the footage, Nadal can be seen bending down in pain before quitting the court with his team.
Nadal has been dealing with a hip injury since his unexpected exit from the Australian Open in January, where he suffered a psoas injury. Although the original recovery time frame was six to eight weeks, it has been nearly four months since then, and the 22-time Grand Slam champion has yet to make his comeback.
Nadal’s return has been postponed repeatedly during the clay season. In fact, he has progressively announced his withdrawal from Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome through social media announcements. With his withdrawal from the Italian Open, Nadal could potentially play at Roland-Garros without having played any clay-court match nor any tournament since January.
If Nadal skips the French Open, he would lose the 2,000 points from his 2022 title and could see his ranking plummet to around 120th in the world after the Grand Slam. Such a scenario could raise questions about the possibility of retirement for the immensely talented champion, who turns 37 on June 3. Still, no conclusion should be made before an official announcement from the tennis star himself.
