Nadal doubtful for Monte-Carlo
Nadal is taking his time to make sure he is over the injury this time before returning
Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has revealed he suffered a ‘big. Big breakdown’ in Australia and the injury is far worse than it was initially reported.
Nadal lost in the second round at the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald, but he was clearly struggling with injury.
That injury turned out to be an abdominal strain similar to the one he suffered at Wimbledon and then blighted him at the US Open.
Understandably, Nadal is taking his time to make sure he is over the injury this time before returning, but there are complications to consider too.
The tear is in the psoas which is notoriously temperamental, and it is a crucial muscle for generating power on the serve.
“I am taking it week by week, I’m having tests to see the progress [I am making] from the injury,” Nadal told the Spanish media.
“I haven’t talked much since what happened in Australia, but in Australia I had a big, big breakdown.
“It was a very big tear in the muscle, I tore a little bit of the tendon. It is a very complicated place in the psoas, in all sports, but in tennis we get strength from there, so it is a slower recovery than we would like.
“We have no choice but to be a little patient; it is true that the calendar is passing and that I am no longer 20 years old, and after a year like the one I’ve been having, one gets tired, but I do what I can.
“Every day I’m at the Academy training, gym, recovery, 15 or 20 minutes on the court so that my arm doesn’t degenerate…”
