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Rafael Nadal recently withdrew from the ongoing 2024 Indian Wells citing fitness concerns. He has now begun training on clay, as per a clip shared by him on social media.
Ever since he lifted his first French Open trophy in 2005, the 14-time Roland Garros champion has dominated the surface. With the clay season around the corner, tennis fans would be hoping to see the Spaniard in action in what may be his final year on tour.
The former World No. 1 took to social media to share a short clip where he can be seen dusting clay off his shoes with his racquet.
"Clay... Tierra..." Nadal captioned the clip on Instagram.
Nadal's last appearance on the court was at the Netflix Slam exhibition event at the Michelob ULTRA arena Las Vegas on March 3.
The upcoming Masters 1000 clay court events include the Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open in April, and the Rome Masters in May. The 2024 French Open is scheduled to begin on May 26.
Novak Djokovic shares his thoughts on Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from Indian Wells 2024
Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the 2024 Indian Wells Masters on Wednesday, March 6. The 22-time Grand Slam champion was slated to compete with some of his top peers including Novak Djokovic.
In a video shared by Tennis TV on YouTube of his pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic shared his thoughts on Nadal's absence at the event in California. He looked back at the coincidence of sharing the same flight as Nadal to the US and spoke about the Spaniard's preparations.
"You know, it's sad for the tournament that Rafa [Rafael Nadal] had to withdraw and also for him. I traveled with him to America, that was not planned. It was nice to see him and his family," Novak Djokovic said [at 6:35].
"And, I know he came in early because he really wanted to adjust to the time zone, get as much as [sic.] practice as possible, get himself ready to play", the Serb added.
The World No. 1 also spoke about Nadal's highly anticipated return to clay courts.
"That's why he came in early. So he gave his best and wasn't to be, but he's always saying he wants his peak of abilities to come during the claycourt season obviously," Djokovic added.
Novak Djokovic will square off against Aleksandar Vukic in the Round of 64 at Indian Wells on Saturday, March 9.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
