Rafael Nadal will miss a big chunk of the clay season after being ruled out for between four and six weeks with a stress fracture of his rib suffered in Indian Wells.
The Australian Open champion sought treatment during his semi-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz and complained of breathing problems and sharp pain after a straight-sets defeat by Taylor Fritz in the final on Sunday, his first loss of the season.
Writing on Twitter, Nadal said: “Hello everyone, I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort.
“As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for four to six weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this.”
The news is a big blow to the 35-year-old, who had already chosen to sit out the Miami Open over the next fortnight with the aim of continuing his s …
- March 23, 2022
