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Madrid (REUTERS) - Rafael Nadal will miss a big chunk of the clay season after being ruled out for between four and six weeks with a stress fracture of his rib suffered in Indian Wells.
The Australian Open champion sought treatment during his semi-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz and complained of breathing problems and sharp pain after a straight-sets defeat by Taylor Fritz in the final on Sunday, his first loss of the season.
"Hola todos, quería anunciaros que he vuelto a España y fui enseguida a visitar a mi equipo médico para hacerme las pruebas tras la final de Indian Wells que jugué con molestias.
Al final resulta que tengo una fisura por estrés en una de las costillas y estaré entre 4 y 6 semanas de baja. No son buenas noticias y no me esperaba esto. Estoy hundido y triste porque tras el inicio de temporada que he tenido tan buena.
Llegaba a una parte muy importante del año con muy buenas sensaciones y buenos resultados. Pero bueno, siempre he tenido ese espíritu de lucha y superación y lo que sí haré es tener paciencia y trabajar duro tras mi recuperación. Una vez más agradecer a todos el apoyo."
Writing on Twitter, Nadal said: “Hello everyone, I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort.
“As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for four to six weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this.”
The news is a big blow to the 35-year-old, who had already chosen to sit out the Miami Open over the next fortnight with the aim of continuing his stunning form on clay.
But he will almost certainly miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, tournaments he has won 11 and 12 times respectively, and he could also be forced to skip the Madrid Open at the beginning of May.
That would leave him with only the Italian Open in Rome to get ready for the French Open, where he will aim lift the trophy for a 14th time.
Nadal did not attempt to hide his disappointment, saying: “I am down and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time. I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results.
“But I’ve always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again I thank everyone for the support.”
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