On Thursday, Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters, saying his body is not yet ready for competition.
“Hi all, these are very difficult moments for me, sporting wise,” Rafa said in a statement on social media.
“Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte Carlo. My body simply won’t allow me. And even if I am working hard & making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can’t play today. You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events. The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better.Thanks again to all, as always, for all the support and best wishes!”
Despite returning to the court in Brisbane this January after a year-long hiatus due to a hip flexor injury, Rafa has not competed in any ATP events since then. Our champ, who holds the record for most titles won at the event with 11 victories, last claimed the championship in 2018.
Dear Rafa, take all the time you need to rest and recover. Your fans are behind you every step of the way, eagerly awaiting your return to the court when you’re ready!
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Gotta love the guy for trying – saw he posted on Facebook that he’s in Barcelona and practicing. He’ll know if and when he’s ready to play again and I’m happy to wait.
Rafa is in Barcelona getting ready for the tournament. He doesn’t want to “confirm” that he will play. Doesn’t want to jinx it maybe?
Lately at the RNA he has only practiced with young guys yet to make their mark on the tour. Today in Barcelona he practiced with #298 in the rankings and wasn’t shown serving at all. He only has two more days before the draw to make a decision. He needs to practice with top players and serve if physically possible or else we won’t be seeing him play this tournament.
The young player’s name is David Jorda Sanchís. Sorry to refer to him as a number.
very sad to see that Rafa’s problems are continuing. I think it’s his ab, not his back, that is the problem. The days when he could compensate by running all over the court are long past. He NEEDS a good serve to compete! I’d love to see him playing well for a few last times, but if not, he’s done much more than I ever expected. He’s had one of the all time GREAT careers and remains the King of Clay forever. He’s been everything I couldn’t even dream of as a sports hero! I’ve had various sporting heroes for most of my long life, but beyond his prowess in sports, to me, Rafa is the perfect person. Impeccable manners, kind. thoughtful, great partner and father and a patriot!
Yes I remember other people saying that about his back and serving difficulties during that exhibition match in Las Vegas. Someone at the event made the observation that he looked like he was serving with a stiff back. Sounds strange that it’s connected to his surgery as David noted, but who knows? Often the body compensates in a bad way when you’re injured or recovering from an injury – you know like favouring the strong knee if the other one is hurting etc. And we all know it’s much tougher on Rafa to be gong through this than us. I can’t blame him if he doesn’t want to play if he’s not going to be really competitive. I just hope his able to play competitively a few more times before he retires which is what he wanted, but maybe like Federer he may be able to.
Rafa, we are cautiously optimistic that we will see you play at Roland Garros this year. Best of luck and health! You are always the greatest champion in our hearts. 🥰👍💯🏆🎉
What’s going on with Rafa? Reports by Spanish media, Radio Nacional, say that Rafa is physically fine and that there may be a mental issue. I’m confused, as videos of Rafa practicing recently show him hitting the ball with terrific power.
Rafa has always said what bothers him is not losing, but the fear of losing. After being out of regular competition for so long, it’s not surpring that his confidence is low. I know that in, what probabl is his last year, he doesn’t want to disappoint with a poor performance, but If he’s physically fit, the only way to build confidence is to get back out there…
Lorna- Uncle Toni says the problem with his back is when he serves. People noticed it at the Las Vegas exhibition. Some fans observe that his videos are only of Rafa hitting forehands and backhands, not serves. I don’t think that means anything because we never see him practicing serves except at matches. And Rafa would not want to give away video of current serve problems to competitors.
I recall that about 10 years ago Rafa had major problems with his back. I have not seen anything about the origins of the current problem except that it might be related to his surgery.
I doubt that it is mental. His physical problems are well documented.
Thank you David. It’s true that Rafa’s serve was compromised during the Las Vegas exhibition and it was clear to see. I do remember in the 2014 AO against Wawrinka, Rafa had a back injury – painful to watch. I hadn’t read what Rafa’s uncle said about his ongoing back issue, so since he’s one of the closest people to his nephew, I’d rather believe him and Rafa than the media that don’t have the whole story.
My feeling is that we won’t see Rafa play before the French Open. It’s a waiting game until we actually see him on court, so I’ll have to hold my breath until then 🙏🏽
Rafa told the press in Sevilla yesterday that the pain is in his abs. This is what is hampering his serve. Always best to hear it from the man himself as the speculation is usually inaccurate.
So true. It would make sense that an abs problem would affect his serve due to stretching up to the ball. Rafa certainly has a lot to deal with when it comes to his body.
Tough, very tough😔😔
Very sad news. But life goes on somehow. Stay positive and happy Rafa, you will always be our champ.
Sad to hear this. Hope French open is still on track. A bit unlikely now from recent trends. Personally he is my tennis hero
Don’t worry about us, your loyal and understanding fans.
We love you, no matter what. For once look after yourself first and everybody else, second.
If you watch clips of the Australian Open 2022, you’ll see a vision of the whole stadium, majority of which had their hands up in prayer position – well, magnify that as your fans worldwide are praying for you Rafa, to return one more time to the sport you love giving joy to all of us since that kid raised the trophy in 2008.
Take care Rafa!❤️
This is hard to take for all of Rafa’s millions of fans. But its much much harder for Rafa. We would all like to know what the difficulties are but we trust that Rafa and his team know best.
So sad to hear 😔 I can only hope and pray…
I had a feeling… Paris not too far away and we all know he will not play if he feels he’s not healthy to do so. Difficult pill to swallow.
All our prayers are for Rafa to return healthy and able to play his best. In the meantime, he has baby Rafa and his beautiful wife to keep him strong.
Rafa-we trust your judgment and your decisions. Stay healthy; we have missed your presence at all of the tournaments, but the participation must be when you are ready.
All the Best🍀🎾❤️