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Devastating Back-To-Back Blows for 36-Year-Old Rafael Nadal Fans as Latest Decision Indicates Bad Signs Over His French Open 2023 Participation

Published 05/15/2023, 5:40 AM EDT

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Doubts loom over Rafael Nadal‘s participation in the upcoming French Open. The 14-time winner of the tournament is facing a challenging time owing to a lingering injury. The Spanish tennis star recently declined an invitation to compete at the Bordeaux Challenger, thereby causing further speculation about his fitness. Nadal has missed out on three vital clay court events this year – Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Barcelona.

Recent reports revealed that he had declined an offer to play at the Bordeaux Challenger. His decision has only heightened the speculation over his participation in Roland Garros. On the clay courts of Paris, the Spanish star has been an unstoppable force, triumphing a remarkable 14 times. However, with injury troubles plaguing him as of late, doubts have been cast on his capacity to maintain his winning streak.

Rafael Nadal falls victim to his painful injuries and misses out on another clay court event

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Jean-Baptiste Perlant, the director of Bordeaux Challenger, recently confirmed in a L’Equipe interview, reported by the Express UK, that he extended a wildcard invitation to Nadal. However, it seems the ‘King of Clay’ declined this offer, as Perlant received a message from Nadal’s agent, Carlos Costa. He informed him that Nadal was not quite ready to take part in the tournament due to ongoing preparations in his hometown of Manacor. This response has stirred up concerns amongst Nadal’s followers about his current state of physical fitness in the lead-up to the French Open.

via Imago

Rafael Nadal has been dealing with a significant injury to his psoas muscle since the Australian Open earlier this year. He had expected a six-to-eight-week recovery period, however; the injury has taken longer to heal than expected. His painful injuries forced him to withdraw from several tournaments. Nadal has been trying various treatment plans to address the injury and improve his condition. He shared, “I was training, but now a few days ago we decided to change course a bit,..”

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In his statement, Nadal expressed disappointment with the situation and the progress of his recovery. It is not clear at this time if he will be able to recover in time to compete in the French Open, which is one of the most important tournaments of the year for him, given his success on clay courts. He shared, “The reality is that the situation is not what we had hoped for.”

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Nadal expresses his concerns in an emotional post on social media

Following his exit from the first Grand Slam of the year, Nadal was likely anticipating positive news about his injury. However, scans showed that he had a grade-two left hip flexor muscle injury. Medical professionals estimated that he would need six to eight weeks to fully recover. Sadly, more than 15 weeks have passed since then. Nadal’s slow recovery has resulted in his withdrawal from four tournaments, including the Madrid Open.

Watch this story – Despite Horrific Failures, Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Patrick Mouratoglou Spreads Hope on an End to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s Dominance

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Nadal recently updated his fans on his condition via Twitter, expressing concern about his slow recovery despite following medical advice. He did not mention whether he would participate in the upcoming French Open. His supporters will undoubtedly be concerned about the situation. Nadal’s injury could potentially force him to retire from tennis prematurely.

Do you think Nadal will be able to make a full recovery and compete again? Share your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Dr Aditya Raveendran Menon

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Aditya Menon is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports, covering several high-profile tournaments and events. With a passion for writing that matches his love for the sport, he has a special interest in covering the activities of tennis legends like Serena Williams and the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis. Aditya’s interest in tennis started at a young age when his father introduced him to the sport.
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Edited by:

Tony Thomas