Spanish tennis player, former world number one Rafael Nadal has canceled his participation in the Australian Open due to an injury he suffered during his quarterfinal match in Brisbane on Friday.
This was reported by UNN with reference to the Association of Professional Tennis Players.
During my last match in Brisbane, I had a small muscle problem, which, as you know, caused me concern. As soon as I arrived in Melbourne, I had the opportunity to have an MRI and it turned out that I had a microtear in the muscle, but not in the part where the injury was, and that's good news. Now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level in 5-set matches. I'm flying back to Spain to see a doctor, get some treatment and rest
Details
The 250-court event in northeastern Australia was Nadal's first tournament since his dramatic second-round exit at the Australian Open about a year ago. After that loss, Nadal did not play for the rest of the season due to injury. The Spaniard returned this week, playing a match in Brisbane, where he defeated Dominic Thiem (7:5 6:1) and Jason Kubler (6:1 6:2) in straight sets, but then lost to Jordan Thompson: 7:5 6:7 (6/8) 3:6 after 3:26 hours, losing three match points in the second set.
Nadal's withdrawal from the tournament leaves the Australian Open without one of its most significant players. In addition, according to media reports, 2023 champion Novak Djokovic is also at risk of injury due to wrist problems.
Recall
Ukraine's top-ranked player Elina Svitolina has won another victory at the WTA 250 tournament in New Zealand, defeating China's Wang Xiyu. With this victory, Svitolina made it to the final of the tournament, where she will play against American Coco Hauff.