Rafael Nadal is still suffering from an injury to the right hip flexor he contracted at the Australian Open in January. The Spaniard wants to return to the ATP tour at the beginning of the clay court season. First station is said to be at 15. April Monte Carlo.
Rafael Nadal, the convalescent with the bright orange bathing cap, crawls in the pool. Relaxed, on the outside track. Two, three puffs, then breathe to the side. And again submerge in chlorinated water. At the end of the course, the 31-year-old comes out of the water, raises his right arm, raises his thumb, blinks – and shines. If the facial expression of “Rafa” is used, “everything Roger” seems to be about rehab. As if to prove it, he adds the words: “Cada día mejor/Improving everyday” to his Instagram post. Which means I’m making progress every day. So there’s nothing to worry about.
His return to the tour is planned for the Monaco Tournament, which he has won ten times since 2005. The start in the Principality should be the overture for the clay court season, Nadal’s feel-good weeks so to speak. His big goal is Paris, the French Open – and the eleventh title of the left-hander in Roland Garros.
Nadal’s regular doc Angel Ruiz Cotorro recently expressed confidence. In an interview with El Pais, he said that the movement or ligamentous apparatus of the world ranked number one was not affected, only the musculature. This makes the situation less difficult, the physician continued. Because of the injury Nadal had to cancel his participation in the Sunshine double in Indian Wells and Miami. In 2018 the Mallorcan has only played four complete matches so far. In the quarter-finals in Melbourne, he had to give up against Marin Cilic (Croatia) in the fifth set.
His uncle Toni, coach of the 16-time Grand Slam champion until before this season, caused a sensation with some statements at Eurosport:”Since 2005 Rafael has been regularly struggling with pain and taking painkillers. He often told me that he would have preferred to win less but would have had to endure less pain,” added Toni Nadal, adding that “Rafa” was often unable to complete training sessions on schedule due to the problems.