Rafael Nadal has been out of the tennis court after suffering a rib stress fracture. His personal doctor announced that the Spaniard would be out of the game for at least four to six weeks. Fortunately, Nadal was spotted recently in the gym of his academy. Rafa was seen exercising his legs in a picture shared by Guillaume Delamarre. He is a former French ITF player who happened to be in the gym at the right time.
Rafael suffered a rib injury during the Indian Wells semi-finals against Carlos Alcaraz. He managed to win the game and entered the finals. The 35-year-old appeared in the finals against Taylor Fritz. Unfortunately, the medic was called several times on the court after Nadal felt extreme pain and had trouble breathing. Nadal played through pain but could not avoid the defeat. Taylor Fritz ended Nadal\’s 20-match winning streak this season. Rafa had already announced that he would not feature at the Miami Masters after winning his third title of the year in Acapulco.
The Spaniard was looking to get some rest before the start of the clay season at the Monte Carlo Masters. Sadly, his injury came at the most unfortunate time. Earlier in 2022, Nadal returned after an injury for the first time at the Melbourne Summer Set 1. He won his first title in Melbourne. Further, Nadal lifted his first Grand Slam title of the year and 21st overall at the Australian Open. He did not lose a single game in 2022 before his defeat against Taylor Fritz.
Guillaume Delamarre Share Nadal\’s Workout Picture On Instagram:
After the Indian Wells finale, Nadal\’s medical team took a closer look at his rib injury. Nadal\’s doctor Cotorro revealed that the Spaniard suffered from a rib stress fracture. The medical team\’s main concern was to get rid of Nadal\’s pain at that time. Recently, Nadal seemed to feel much easier while working out on his legs in the recent image.
Nadal was clearly frustrated by the expected injury after an excellent start to the season. Moreover, the injury came just before the start of the clay season, where Nadal clearly rules. He has won seven titles at the Roland Garros over the last decade. However, Nadal is known for his fight, and it looks like the Spaniard might be slightly ahead of his recovery schedule. Nadal would prefer to play a few games and a couple of tournaments before The Italian Open on May 8. Hopefully, Rafa will return to the court before the start of the Madrid Open in May.