The day keeps on getting worse for tennis fans! After the shocking announcement made by Roger Federer that he will be out for the rest of the season, latest reports suggest that the 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal’s ongoing wrist injury might make him pull out of the singles competition at next month’s Rio Olympics. He will, however, be in action in doubles.
The World No. 4 was forced to leave the French Open midway in May after winning his first couple of rounds due to an injury that involved the sheath of a tendon in his left wrist. It saw him subsequently also withdrawing from the Wimbledon Championships the next month.
To facilitate a trouble-free participation at Rio, the Spaniard also opted out of this week’s Toronto Masters. But it has now been learnt that his recovery has been going slower than expected and he has yet to reach his maximum intensity.
The latest development is making him reconsider his decision of playing both singles and doubles and he might eventually limit it to only the doubles event. The former World No. 1 thus has had to take precautions and even cancelled his training session with the Wimbledon champion Andy Murray in Mallorca.
There is still no confirmation as such from the Spaniard’s team and it remains to be seen whether Nadal can fully recover in ten days’ time and feel confident about doing double duty in Brazil.
This is not the first time that Rafa’s Olympic preparations have been hampered by health problems. The southpaw, who won the 2008 singles gold at Beijing, could not defend his title the following edition in London due to tendinitis of the knee.
It was a major disappointment for him in 2012 as he was also the flag-bearer and the responsibility ultimately went to basketball star Pau Gasol. Four years later, Nadal can hope to erase the memories of that setback as he has been announced as Spain’s flag-bearer once again.
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