After falling in the Indian Wells final and returning to the world tennis podium under Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, Rafael Nadal was going to start prepare to reach the most important tournament of his sports career in the best way: Roland Garros. But an injury that occurred in the third left costal arch, during the semifinal match he played against compatriot Carlos Alcaráz on March 19, was a setback that worried fans.
However, beyond the recovery deadlines he detailed, the Spaniard began to clear the unknowns about whether he will be able to compete in the second Grand Slam of the year, which will begin next May 22. This Monday morning, the Spaniard excited all fans to the fullest with a strong message on his social networks. “Today after four weeks without stepping on a tennis court, first soft training. What an illusion to step on the ground again!” , wrote Rafa. On the other hand, on Instagram he posted the same photos but with the phrase: “First contact...” .
In addition, he accompanied his words with two photos in which he is seen practicing on a covered brick dust court and with other people in the background who were also using the courts of the complex he selected to get ready in sports. It is worth remembering that three days after his confrontation with Carlos Alcaráz, Nadal wrote a few words on his Twitter account commenting on how he was doing at that time.
“Hello everyone, I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort,” explained the current number three of the ATP ranking. And he added: “In the end it turns out that I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and I will be out between 4 and 6 weeks. It's not good news and I didn't expect this. I am sunk and sad after the start of the season that I had so good”.
The Spaniard considered that “he reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results”. After worrying his entire fan base, Rafa reappeared in the world of the internet with great news for Roland Garros. Meanwhile, Nadal took advantage of the week of the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo to remember his 11 trophies that he has stored in his personal museum in Manacor.
Now there are doubts whether he will return to a main draw at the Mutua Madrid Open which starts on March 1, at the Masters 1000 in Rome that will start on May 8 or whether he will bet squarely on Roland Garros, which has a release date of May 22. With 20 of 21 games won so far in 2022, Nadal will seek to be in top condition when it comes to scoring in an event to continue stretching his impressive record on the surface he loves so much.
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