The most shocking news of the week for the world of tennis It’s without a doubt the one that confirms Nadal won’t be at Roland Garros. The Balearic tennis player himself has taken it upon himself to announce it in a press conference he offered from his academy. Over there, Rafa not only gave information about his injurybut he was also encouraged to share a little about his plans for the future.
Not only does Nadal expect Roland Garros to be absent this year for the first time since 2004, but he has also informed his supporters about it Your decision not to continue your education until further notice. Furthermore, the man from Manacor has assured that this time he will not set a deadline for his return, although he admitted that it could happen next year.
Nadal won’t be at Roland Garros but leaves the door open to take part in the Davis Cup
The Mallorcan tennis player confirmed the news in a very emotional press conference that was even attended by his family. Nadal will not be at Roland Garros He has won the tournament 14 times over the course of his prolific careerof which he is the biggest winner and the same who could have been the perfect backdrop to overtake Novak Djokovic in the category of tennis player with the most Grand Slams in history.
Among other things, Rafa spoke about what really made him make this sad decision. Everything indicates that, despite his optimism on social media in recent months, this is the reality in the end The recovery process from the injury that has prevented him from being on the slopes since the Australian Open is ongoing in a satisfactory manner.
Nadal has admitted with some change of tone that it’s the only safe way at the moment His body is incapable of competing at the highest level. However, the Spaniard has made it clear he will prepare for the return and will give it his all as he believes he ‘doesn’t deserve to end his career in a press conference’.
In addition, the athlete has left open the possibility of a return before 2024. Because if he feels fully recovered and the captain deems it appropriate, he could feature again in the Davis Cup in November, representing Spain.
Nadal will not be at Roland Garros: what does the news mean for the tennis world?
First of all, it must be made clear that this announcement confirms this which was suspected after Rafael Nadal confirmed his absence from the Masters 1000 in Madrid. In reality, apart from the fact that he hasn’t provided any specifics on the condition of his injury, it seems unlikely that Rafa could reach the second Grand Slam of the year at good pace after his absence from the first clay-court competitions.
That being said, now that the Mallorcan’s loss is a fact, there is no doubt about it Roland Garros 2023 will be the most atypical of this century. It turns out that Nadal, who is the perpetual winner of the tournament with 14 injuries, has never been absent since his debut in 2005. Not even in 2022, when he won the trophy while playing with one foot asleep throughout the championship.
Rafael Nadal will not feature at Roland Garros and that means that for the first time the tournament will not have the only certainty it had in almost two decades before: Nadal has always been the main contender for victory. Furthermore, the possibilities are endless as Djokovic is less and less dominant, an Alcaraz arrives with the pressure to be number one and several young players are in good shape.
What injury prevents Nadal from going to Roland Garros?
The physical ailments, which for now continue to cause the Balearic athlete’s return to be postponed, are the same ones that knocked him out of the Australian Open in the match against American MacKenzie McDonald. Is about an injury to a muscle called the iliopsoas, which begins in the abdomen and ends in the front part of the thigh. In Nadal’s case, the ailments affect the movement of his left leg.
To recover from the above injury, Rafa had given an estimated recovery time of 6 to 8 weeks. That said, the Spaniard’s return should initially have taken place in mid-March when the Masters 100 was being played in Indian Wells, in which he finished second, and those in Miami. Since these absences were confirmed, the worst has been suspected.
In addition to the above at some point Nadal further confirmed that the injury was indeed more serious than previously thought. for even the tendon had loosened a little. However, the tennis player continued to train and published some training sessions from his academy on social networks. Many of his followers therefore still harbored the hope of being able to witness his return in the brick dust of Paris.
The consequences of Nadal’s loss when reflecting on the rankings
Rafael Nadal will remain 14th in the ATP ranking for now. However, this will change on June 12th when the lists are updated. When that happens, Rafa will be relegated beyond position number 130. And not only that: if the 200 points from the ATP Finals in Turin and the 10 points from Paris-Bercy are deducted on November 6th, Nadal’s points balance will be deleted.
The consequence of this will be that the Manacorí have two alternatives to participate in the major tournaments. The first option is to resort to protected rankingor what is the same, he will start at an average position based on what he has held for the first three months.
The second option is to rely on wildcards or invites to be able to appear in the tables of the most relevant competitions. It’s worth noting that Rafa remained composed in the face of these opportunities. Well, he thinks it’s better if he can play using the protected ranking and that way he doesn’t deprive other tennis players of the invitations. Although he admitted that if he needed the wildcards he would still remain calm because he also feels he deserves them.
