Rafael Nadal withdraws from Rome Masters leaving French Open in doubt
Rafael Nadal’s hope of competing at the French Open has taken yet another blow after he withdrew from the Rome Masters.
Nadal has not played a match since the Australian Open back in January after he sustained an injury to his hip. As a result, he has missed notable tournaments such as the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open, the Madrid Open, and will now miss the Italian Open too.
A 10-time champion in Rome, the Italian Open would have provided the Spaniard with some much-needed time on the court before he attempts to compete for his 15th Roland-Garros title later this month.
‘’Hello everyone! I'm so sorry to announce that I won't be able to play in Rome," Nadal said via his social media channels.
"You all know how much it hurts me to miss another of the tournaments that has been so important to me, both professionally and personally, because of all the affection and support of the Italian fans.’’
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Despite the withdrawal, there was a fraction of good news in the 36-year-olds message as he confirmed he has noticed an ‘improvement’ to his condition during the last few days – and this comes just weeks after he announced a change of treatment tactic.
"Despite having noticed an improvement in the last few days, it has been many months since I’ve been able to train at a high level and the adaptation process takes time.
‘’All that is left for me to do is accept it and keep working. Best wishes to everyone.’’
Despite only being expected to be sidelined for around six to eight weeks, Nadal’s absence from the tour is about to hit the fourth month mark.
It remains to be seen whether the Spaniard will compete at one of the smaller ATP 250 events, such as the Geneva or Lyon Open, prior to the French Open for practice purposes or if he’ll even compete in Paris at all.
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