Tennis star Rafael Nadal has again canceled participation in a tournament and has to worry about his start at the French Open in Paris.
The 36-year-old Spaniard announced via Twitter that he cannot play at the ATP Masters in Rome, which begins on May 10th, due to the consequences of a long-term injury.
He is very sorry that he cannot be in Rome, wrote the 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner. It hurts him to miss another tournament that has shaped his professional and personal career. Nadal sustained a hip flexor and groin muscle injury at the Australian Open in January and has not competed in a tournament since. He is still suffering from the consequences of the injury.
Tweet Nadal
“Although I’ve noticed an improvement in the last few days, I haven’t been able to train at a high level for many months and the process of readjustment takes time and I have no choice but to accept that and keep working,” he wrote Spaniards. Most recently, Nadal slipped out of the top ten in the world rankings for the first time in 18 years and is currently ranked 14th.
Departure in Paris uncertain
Because of the long injury break, it is unclear whether the 36-year-old will be fit in time to defend his title at the French Open from May 28th to June 11th. The Spaniard has won the second Grand Slam tournament of the year after the Australian Open 14 times, more often than any other player.
