Rafael Nadal’s preparations for the upcoming clay-court season have hit a significant setback after he was diagnosed with a rib stress fracture following his straight-sets defeat against Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final on Sunday.
Nadal will be out for four to six weeks, a layoff that would force him to miss the Monte Carlo Masters and make an appearance at the Barcelona Open unlikely. He would face a rush to return for the Madrid Open at the beginning of May.
“As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks,” Nadal said on social media after tests in Spain. “This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am downcast and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time.”
Before the final against Fritz on Sunday, Nadal’s season had been a revelation. After being forced away from competition for nearly six months because of a foot injury, Nadal achieved his greatest start to a season. He won his first 20 matches of 2022 including his 21st grand slam title at the Australian Open and other titles in Acapulco and Melbourne.
Injuries have accompanied Nadal, 35, throughout his career and this latest setback is a familiar obstacle. He was already attempting to preserve his body for the clay season and Roland Garros, where he is chasing his 14th title, when he withdrew from this week’s Miami Open even before he played his first match in Indian Wells.
Nadal began to feel discomfort around the left side of his chest in his dramatic semi-final match against his 18-year-old compatriot Carlos Alcaraz. The injury worsened in the final and despite Nadal fighting hard and pushing Fritz in a tight second set, the American held on to win his first Masters 1000 title. Afterwards, Nadal said that he suffered from breathing issues and sharp pains around the area of his injury.
“I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results,” Nadal said. “But I’ve always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery.”
When he returns, Nadal, who will be 36 at the start of June, will have to prepare himself for a possible meeting with Novak Djokovic at the French Open. Djokovic will likely make his return at the Monte Carlo Masters after competing in only one event in the first three months of the year because of his unvaccinated status.
Meanwhile, the 2015 French Open champion Stan Wawrinka will return to competition next week at the Andalucia Open ATP Challenger after a one-year layoff because of two surgeries on his left foot. Wawrinka, who turns 37 next Monday and also has a wildcard in Monte Carlo, last competed in Doha last March.
In Miami, Andy Murray begins his tournament against Federico Delbonis and with a win he would face the top seed Daniil Medvedev, who has a bye, in the second round. The 20-year-old Jack Draper begins against Gilles Simon with Cameron Norrie, the 10th seed, awaiting the pair in the second round.