Rafael Nadal will prolong his break by missing his preferred Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo! After withdrawing from Indian Wells, Rafa has been honing his craft at home in Mallorca, working with his favorite clay, but he still doesn’t feel ready to participate.

Rafa’s uncle Toni, a former coach, disclosed his nephew’s concerns, acknowledging that he still experiences pain while serving and that these difficulties are the same as those he faced in the USA. Rafa’s options are limited to competing when he is fully prepared or skipping events until he reaches that point, with Roland Garros his major objective.

With just three matches under his belt this year, Nadal missed the Australian Open, Doha, Indian Wells, and Monte Carlo, in addition to wasting three match points in the Brisbane quarterfinal.

The veteran had to alter his plans in order to compete in the Principality; his potential return tournaments were Barcelona and Madrid.

In March, Nadal experienced a minor backache during his preparations for Indian Wells. After obtaining an MRI, he returned home and spent several weeks training on clay, abstaining from formal matches for an additional several weeks.

At the age of sixteen, Rafa made his Monte Carlo debut in 2003, defeating the defending Roland Garros winner on the way to the third round. Between 2005 and 2018, the Spaniard was a formidable opponent in the Principality, winning 11 trophies and only losing three.

In 2019, Nadal only made two unsuccessful appearances at one of his favorite events before losing his sense of Monte Carlo. If Rafa’s back gets better, he will participate in the Barcelona ATP event. But Roland Garros is still his primary goal, and the seasoned player will stop at nothing to compete in tennis in Paris.

A 22-time Major winner who has struggled with injuries and is going through his worst career phase has only participated in seven games since the start of 2023. Nadal changed everything a year later after deciding not to pursue major titles in 2021.

Rafa had a great start to the season, winning the Australian Open and Roland Garros despite not feeling at his best. He now has 22 major victories to his name. Though he made it to the Wimbledon semifinals, he had to quit due to an abdominal injury. Nevertheless, his fortunes turned there.

As it happened, Nadal’s most recent competitive match was Wimbledon. He struggled in the second half of the year and missed out on the opportunity to rise to the top of the world rankings at 36. For the veteran, 2023 was not a better year—rather, it got worse. The Spaniard had no form going into the season, having lost two United Cups and ruling out defending his Australian Open championship. Rafa played Mackenzie McDonald in the second round after defeating Jack Draper in the first.

Nadal didn’t appear good in the first set, and in the latter moments of the second, he suffered a serious hip injury. Rafa, not one to give up, persevered through a late break in the third set and ultimately suffered his worst Majors outcome since 2016.

Following his disclosure of a flexor problem, Nadal pulled out of the scheduled events and underwent an arthroscopic procedure in June to repair his hip. He consequently missed the rest of the season and took the longest break from tennis in history.

Rafa had a restful summer with his family and friends, which helped him recover before returning to the practice court. Rafael Nadal made his highly anticipated return to the game in Brisbane during the first week of 2024. It was his first competition in almost a full year, and he gave his fans cause for celebration. Nadal was motivated to work even harder and extend his career by a single year.

Rafa took on Dominic Thiem in the opening round. He performed admirably on the court, winning the second set and breaking the opposition’s resistance in the closing moments of the first. Rafael Nadal overcame Jason Kubler in the second round, advancing him to the quarterfinals where he will face Jordan Thompson.

Rafa was severely disadvantaged after three hours and twenty-five minutes when he lost 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 in the second set after squandering three match points! More significantly, discomfort around his problematic hip prevented the 22-time Major winner’s body from withstanding the strain.

After taking a medical break during the last set, Nadal battled through to the conclusion but ultimately lost and had to travel to Melbourne. After receiving an MRI, which revealed a microtear in his muscle, the Spaniard decided to forgo another rest and withdraw from the Australian Open.

Having hip arthroscopic surgery

Nadal felt a little uneasy during his pre-Doha training, so he decided not to compete and instead focused on his performance at Indian Wells. Rafa spent two hours practicing in the desert before competing in The Netflix Slam in Las Vegas against Carlos Alcaraz, where he was defeated 3-6, 6-4, and 14-12.

After experiencing back trouble, the three-time winner eventually withdrew from Indian Wells, finding it difficult to serve and preferring to avoid taking a chance on his cherished clay swing. Nadal withdrew from another tournament, hoping for better fortune in the coming days, after failing to recuperate in time for Monte Carlo.

“Because he needed extra time to heal, Rafael had to miss Monte Carlo. While serving, he has difficulties, even though his training sessions have gone well. Roland Garros is quickly approaching; you have to perform at your best or lose,” stated Rafael Nadal.