What's next for Rafael Nadal? Learn more about his injury, return date, drop in rankings, and more

The rough patch for Rafael Nadal doesn't seem to end anytime soon, with his latest hip injury set to keep him on the sidelines for a couple of months.

After a difficult four-set win against Jack Draper in the first round of the Australian Open, the defending champion lost to Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets on Wednesday (January 18), ending his hopes for a 23rd Major. However, the bigger concern for the Spaniard is an iliopsoas muscle tear in his left leg, which was aggravated in his attempt to hit a forehand during his second-round match.

The iliopsoas muscle is the main flexor of the hip joint, connecting the abdomen to the thigh. The 36-year-old took to social media on Thursday (January 19) to inform his fans about the Grade 2 injury. Nadal added that he would turn to anti-inflammatory physiotherapy to recover and be out of action for at least six weeks.

"I have undergone medical tests after losing yesterday. The MRI shows a grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas muscle in my left leg. Now it's time for sports rest and anti-inflammatory physiotherapy. Normal recovery time 6 to 8 weeks," Nadal tweeted.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is expected to lose a large chunk of his ranking points over the next couple of months. Along with his points from the Australian Open, he will lose 500 points from the Mexican Open next month and another 600 if he skips Indian Wells, set to begin on March 8.

In December 2022, Nadal touched 900 consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10 rankings, the second-best being Jimmy Connors at 789. However, the Spaniard's world record is at risk of coming to an end if he doesn't recover quickly.

Looking at the severity of the new injury and the tour schedule, the Mallorcan could make his comeback at the Miami Open, beginning on March 22. However, it won't be a surprise if he decides to return directly to the clay season.

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"It says everything about his career" - Jelena Dokic on Rafael Nadal's 900+ weeks in top 10

Rafael Nadal during the 2023 Australian Open

Rafael Nadal broke into the ATP top 10 on April 25, 2005, and hasn't left since. His consistency has been unmatched as it has been 904 weeks for the Spaniard at the top.

Former Australian player Jelena Dokic recently weighed in on the extraordinary achievement and praised the legendary player, especially after having endured multiple injuries throughout his career.

"It's hard to put into words, it's really hard to believe that he's been in the top 10 for 18 years even with all the injuries that he's had," Dokic said.

"We talk about the 22 Grand Slam titles and everything that he's accomplished, but that is a big one to be almost 20 years inside the top 10 consistently. It says everything about his career, his consistency, how well he competes, and how well he fights even with all the injuries he's had," she continued.