Nadal out for 4-6 weeks with rib injury two months ahead of French Open

Rafael Nadal, 21-time Grand Slam winner, has been sidelined for four to six weeks with a rib injury sustained during the semi-finals at the Indian Wells against Carlos Alcaraz, the player announced on Tuesday. The King of Clay’s injury comes when the French Open is two months away. 

Nadal has won 13 French Open titles which is a record for any player, male or female, in any major tournament. 

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In a Twitter thread, the 35-year-old said that he underwent exams after arriving in Spain from the United States and results showed he has a stress fracture on one of his left ribs. He lost in the final at the Indian Wells to Taylor Fritz in two sets on Sunday.

“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,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. 

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“As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am sunk and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time,” he added. 

He was 20-0 to begin the season, including winning the Australian Open, before losing to Fritz 6-3, 7-6 (5) at the hard-court tournament in California. It was the third-best start to a season since 1990 on the ATP Tour. Nadal also won titles in Melbourne and Acapulco.

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“I was getting to a very important part of the season feeling well and with good results,” Nadal said. “But well, I’ve always had this fighting spirit and what I’ll do is be patient and work hard after recovering.”

Nadal was rteated by a trainer during the final against Fritz and afterward said the problem began the night before during the semifinals against Alcaraz.

He had said that he was not sure what exactly caused the discomfort, saying it was “painful” and “very uncomfortable” when he tried to breathe.

Nadal aims to win a record-extending 14th p Open title at Roland Garros this year. In 2021, he lost to arch-rival and eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. 

Nadal’s participation at the Madrid Open at the end of April will likely depend on how his recovery progresses. The Spaniard is a five-time champion in Madrid. He is not likely to play in the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open next month.