Roland Nadal’s hopes at Roland-Garros took another hit when he withdrew from the Rome Masters. There were talks that the world number 14 would finally make his return to next week’s Italian Open after progressing with his latest treatment. But after visiting his doctor, Nadal again postponed his return, casting doubt on Roland-Garros and his career.
Nadal withdrew from another tournament, this time the Rome Masters. The 36-year-old previously revealed he felt like he could play a full swing on clay but has now missed all the big events in the run-up to Roland-Garros.
When he retired from Madrid, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said he was starting treatment again and still hoped to play at least some of the swing on clay. But he is now running out of time and may be forced to miss the most successful event of his career – Roland Garros.
“Hello everyone! I am so sorry to announce that I will not be able to be in Rome,” he tweeted on Friday. “You all know how much it hurts me to miss another of the tournaments that marked my professional and personal career for all the love and support of the Italian fans.”
However, there was some relief as Nadal confirmed he had already seen an improvement in his condition since changing his treatment tactics two weeks ago. The Spaniard added: “Despite noticing an improvement in recent days, there have been many months without being able to train at a high level and the rehabilitation process has its time and I have no other choice but to accept them and continue working. A kiss to all.”
This means that, if Nadal is to play at Roland-Garros, he will not be able to participate in an official match on clay unless he participates in one of the smaller ATP 250 events in Geneva or Lyon the week before. . The 36-year-old’s latest withdrawal comes after he issued a big update on his condition two weeks ago, admitting that “the injury is still not healed and I can’t work on what I’m working on. I need to compete”.
In the statement released on April 20, he added, “I was training, but a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment and see if things improve for me. trying to get to what’s coming. I can’t give time frames because if I knew, I’d tell you, but I don’t know. That’s the current situation.
Although there finally seems to be some positive signs in his recovery process, there are still concerns as Nadal hasn’t been able to get to a point where he can play competitively. Three weeks out from Roland Garros, there must be question marks over whether the defending champion and 14-time winner will be back to defend his crown.
