Rafael Nadal makes cryptic statement about his return to professional tennis

Rafael Nadal has been on the sidelines due to an injury in his left-hip during his second-round exit in the Australian Open, which was the first Grand Slam of the year. Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion in tennis, is still unsure of his exact recovery time.

As he continued to heal from the issue, Nadal withdrew from matches scheduled at the Indian Wells  and Miami Open. For the very first time in nearly 18 years, Nadal fell out of the top 10 men’s tennis players of the world when the standings were updated last week.

The Spanish great had been ranked in the top 10 since April 2005, but after skipping Indian Wells, he dropped to number 13. His comments raised doubts about a potential comeback at the Monte Carlo Masters the following month.

What did Rafael Nadal say about his comeback to the sport?

The world champion spoke to Marca in a short interview where he confirmed that he is out of the Indian Wells open after the tournament’s social media handle confirmed that Nadal will feature in the competition.

He said, “I don’t know who gets this information. Obviously if it were true, I would confirm it, but unfortunately I can’t. I’m following my course and I don’t know when I’ll play again, that’s the truth.”

Nadal then spoke about whether he has decided to take part in the next tournament which is the Monte Carlo Open. “I can’t confirm that I will play in Monte Carlo. Things are seen day by day. I prefer to say things when I really know them.”, Rafael added.   

Prior to tournaments in Madrid and Rome and with the French Open, which is Nadal’s favourite event is now only two months away, the Monte Carlo Masters marks the beginning of the clay-court season. Although Nadal has triumphed in the Monte Carlo Masters an unprecedented 11 times, his most recent success came in 2018 when he defeated Kei Nishikori in the championship match.