Rafael Nadal's tenacity has earned him a host of laurels, including 22 Grand Slam titles. Injuries have been a huge part of his career but he persevered through all adversities to make one comeback after another, both on and off the court.
However, father time is rather cruel in his ways, and at the age of 38, the odds are stacked against the Spaniard. He tried to return to the tour time after time this year, though he encountered a new setback every time he resumed playing.
Nadal returned to the tour this year after a year-long hiatus with high hopes, though his comeback hasn't gone according to his plans. He was forced to withdraw from quite a few events, and here's a chronological breakdown of the same:
#1 - Australian Open
Nadal started off strong at the Brisbane International, the very first tournament of his comeback. He beat Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, where he faced Jordan Thompson.
The Spaniard held three match points but failed to close out the match as he sustained a muscle injury towards the end, and lost 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3. With the season's first Major only a few days away, it left him with little time to make a full recovery. Thus, he had no choice but to pull out of the Australian Open.
#2 - Qatar Open
Following a disappointing end to his campaign Down Under, Nadal had plans to compete at the Qatar Open in February. His name was on the entry list for the same and he posted videos of himself training in the lead-up to it, which indicated that he was recovering quite well.
However, the former World No. 1 announced his decision to withdraw from the tournament as he felt he wasn't ready to compete just yet.
"Hello everyone. After the videos and photos I’ve been sharing, I’ve been working on getting back playing asap. Would love to play in Doha next week but I’m not ready to compete yet," the Spaniard wrote.
He promised to return to action at an exhibition event in the US and lived up to his word. He locked horns with Carlos Alcaraz in the "Netflix Slam" in Las Vegas on March 3, though he came up short in it.
#3 - Indian Wells Masters
Nadal gave a good account of himself despite losing to Alcaraz in the exhibition match, which was held a few days before the start of the Indian Wells Masters. He was even included in the draw of the season's first Masters 1000 event and was slated to take on Milos Raonic in the first round.
However, the Spaniard pulled out of the tournament a day before his match was scheduled. He later explained his decision about the same and stated that he wasn't satisfied with his current level, along with the minimal training he was able to do.
"The reality is that I didn't feel ready to start playing a tournament at this level, with the little training background I had behind me at the level I needed," Nadal said (via Eurosport).
"I didn't want to start a tournament coming from where I came from, with no guarantee of being able to advance to at least the levels that I think I need to demand of myself to try and start a tournament," - he added.
Considering Nadal hadn't made an appearance at the Miami Open since losing the 2017 final to Roger Federer, it wouldn't have been on his radar this year either. With the hardcourt swing in the rearview mirror, he was looking forward to competing on his beloved clay.
#4 - Monte-Carlo Masters
Nadal won the Monte-Carlo Masters a record 11 times and has an impressive 73-6 record at the venue. Expectations were high that he would go full throttle on clay after missing most of the initial hardcourt swing.
However, he delayed his return to the tour yet again and decided to skip the Monte-Carlo Masters. It was a tough choice for him to make as he revealed that he wasn't in the best shape yet.
"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," Nadal said.
The Spaniard finally made his much-awaited return the following week at the Barcelona Open, where he bowed out in the second round. He performed better at the Madrid Open as he notched up a fourth-round finish. However, he regressed at the Italian Open with a second-round loss and crashed out in the first round of the French Open.
#5 - Wimbledon
With this being an Olympic year, players were in two minds about participating in the quadrennial event due to the quick change in surfaces. Players would have to switch from clay to grass to clay and then to hardcourts. Quite a few top players, including Aryna Sabalenka, opted to skip the Olympics.
However, Nadal chose to participate in it and decided to skip Wimbledon in its place. He decided to not put too much strain on his body given his health woes this year.
"During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics."
"With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon," Nadal said.
The Spaniard lost to Novak Djokovic in the second round of singles at the Paris Olympics. He teamed up with Alcaraz for doubles, and the duo bowed out in the quarterfinals.
#6 - US Open
Nadal entered the US Open using his protected ranking, though he didn't intend to play any warm-up events before that. However, a few days after his exit from the Paris Olympics, he decided against participating in the season's final Major. He made the call as he felt that he was nowhere close to his best.
"Hi all, writing today to let you guys know that I have decided not to compete at this year’s US Open a place where I have amazing memories. I will miss those electric and special night sessions in NYC at Ashe, but I don’t think I would be able to give my 100% this time," - the Spaniard on his decision to withdraw.
He did mention that he would return to the tour in Berlin for the Laver Cup. His last appearance at the event was two years ago during the emotional farewell of Federer.
#7 - Laver Cup
Fans were waiting with bated breath to see Nadal in action once again, only to be disappointed by the news of his withdrawal. The Laver Cup's official social media handle posted a statement by the 22-time Major champion regarding his decision to pull out.
The Spaniard chose to make way for another player as he felt that it would be in the best interest of his team, even though he wanted to compete. He didn't mention his plans for the future in the post. This marks the latest withdrawal on his part, and rumors are rife regarding his impending retirement.
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