"Rafael Nadal is sadly having Federer-esque end to his career";"He doesn't deserve this" - Fans concerned for Spaniard after Monte-Carlo withdrawal

Rafael Nadal's fitful comeback to the ATP tour faced yet another setback. He has now withdrawn from the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters due to a prolonged recovery period from an injury.

The Spaniard returned to the tour after nearly a year away at the Brisbane International at the start of 2024. He won his first two matches at the ATP 250 tournament but suffered an injury in Brisbane which forced him to pull out of the Australian Open.

Nadal was expected to return to action in the Middle East swing and Sunshine Double but did not compete in either after not feeling up to mark physically to return to competitive tennis.

Now, Nadal's return to the tour has once again been postponed as he announced his decision to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters, which begins on April 7. In a heartbreaking post on X (formerly Twitter), the Spaniard wrote that his body is still not ready to play a professional match and professed how hard it was for him to make this decision after practicing day in and day out to come back on tour.

You can read an excerpt of Nadal's statement below:

"Hi all, these are very difficult moments for me, sporting wise. Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte Carlo. My body simply won’t allow me."

"And even if I am working hard & making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can’t play today. You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events."

Tennis fans were devastated to see the 37-year-old suffer another hindrance on his path to returning to action. A fan compared the Spaniard's last year on the ATP tour to Roger Federer's and how injuries prevented the Swiss from having a picturesque swansong. The user posted on X:

"Rafael Nadal is sadly having a Federer-esque end to his career. Extended breaks, try to come back, and comebacks keep getting delayed, and they both kept wanting to come back to “finish on their terms” as the cliche goes. But, sport rarely works like that. Endings can be cruel."

Another fan wrote:

"He doesn’t deserve this"

"I’m so sorry to hear that you won’t be able to compete in Monte Carlo, Rafa! 😢 You are the hardest worker and the biggest fighter I have ever seen, and I admire and respect you so much. 🙏🏽💪🏽❤️ All the best for your health. Clay without its 👑 is like the sky without its ☀️!!" a fan tweeted.

A fan opined that Nadal is planning to let his body be ready in time for the 2024 Roland Garros and Paris Olympics. Another joked that 43-year-old Venus Williams is playing more matches than the Spaniard.

"He should just retire instead of forcing himself to go out on such a bad way," a fan stated.

"So is his plan basically to just delay and wait for RG and Olympics?" wrote a fan.

"83 yo Venus is playing more than him 😭😭", a fan joked.

Fans were also saddened to see the clay swing of the ATP tour without Rafael Nadal and hoped for a speedy recovery.

"Sad.. very sad. Can’t imagine clay season without Rafa. Its sad seeing your heroes withdrawing, retiring 😭😭😭," a fan tweeted.

"Get well Rafa. We will wait to see you in action at Roland Garros hopefully if we are lucky," said another fan.

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Rafael Nadal is an 11-time champion at the Monte-Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal with the Monte-Carlo Masters 2018 trophy.

Rafael Nadal is the most successful player in Monte-Carlo Masters history, winning the tournament a record 11 times. The Spaniard lifted his first trophy in 2005 and won the competition eight years in a row, defeating Roger Federer (3x) and Novak Djokovic (2x) in title contests in these eight years.

The former World No. 1 emerged victorious at the Monte-Carlo Masters again in 2016, 2017, and 2018. In his career so far, Nadal won 73 out of 79 matches in Monte-Carlo, racking up an astounding 92% win rate.

The Spaniard last played at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021. As the No. 6 seed, he defeated Federico Delbonis and Grigor Dimitrov before losing to Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals.