Thursday, October 31

Rafael Nadal gets in shape in California to return to action at Indian Wells

Sergio Silva Avatar

By Sergio Silva

Feb 25, 2024, 9:20 PM EST

Rafael Nadal is ready to return to action at Indian Wells after having recovered from the physical discomfort he suffered at the beginning of this year in the Brisbane tournament that marked his return to competition after a long absence due to injury.

The former number 1 in the ATP ranking arrived in Los Angeles last Friday in a flight in which he was accompanied by the Serbian Novak Djokovic and immediately began his adaptation to arrive in optimal conditions for the Masters 1,000 that will be held between March 6 and 17 in California.

Prior to his participation in Indian Wells, a tournament that the Mallorcan has won three times (2007, 2009 and 2013), He will be playing an exhibition match next weekend in Las Vegas against the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz at The Netflix Slam, an event organized by the streaming platform.

Novak Djokovic published an image with Rafael Nadal with whom he coincided on the flight from Europe to the United States and which went viral on social networks.

Rafael Nadal, 37, is back on the court after a long injury to his left psoas that kept him out for almost a year. The Spaniard played the tournament in Brisbane in the first days of January but had some physical discomfort so he was out of action again.

On his return he played a total of three matches, starting with a victory against the Austrian Dominik Thiem and then against the Australian Jason Kubler. Subsequently fell to Jordan Thompson in their quarterfinal match. He then announced that he had a muscle injury that ended up ruling him out of the Australian Open.

Nadal himself confirmed the injury on his social networks by announcing that he had a micro muscle tear in his left hip that requires time off to recover. Almost a month later, the winner of 22 Grand Slams is ready to return to the courts.

Rafael Nadal with a gesture of annoyance during his quarterfinal match at the Brisbane tournament in which he lost to Jordan Thompson.
The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal with a gesture of annoyance during his quarterfinal match at the Brisbane tournament in which he lost to Jordan Thompson. (Tertius Pickard/AP Photo)
Credit: Tertius Pickard | AP

Starts on March 7 in Indian Wells

Rafael Nadal will know his draw in the Masters 1,000 after the draw takes place next Tuesday, March 5, in which The Spaniard will be playing his first round match two days later not being among the seeds of the competition since he is currently ranked 652 in the ATP ranking and was included in the roster thanks to the protected ranking.

The man from Mallorca hopes not to have any physical problems during Indian Wells to best face the commitments he has on his agenda where he has already confirmed his presence in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros, the event with the most expectations to be played. in this 2024.

After his return after his serious injury Rafael Nadal confirmed that his retirement is getting closer. However, the Spaniard wants to enjoy this year and play in as many tournaments as possible while he is in good physical condition.

Keep reading:
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– Novak Djokovic revealed the reasons that would lead him to retire from professional tennis
– Jannik Sinner wins his first Grand Slam with a spectacular comeback against the Russian Daniil Medvedev in Australia