"The tournament hasn't even started and he's already getting ready with the injury talk" - Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal's recovery update before Cincinnati Open

Rafael Nadal has provided an important update on his recovery as he gets set to play in the Cincinnati Open - his first and last tournament in the build-up to the 2022 US Open. The Spaniard was asked about the state of his body after suffering an abdominal tear at Wimbledon, and his response drew a range of reactions from fans.

Nadal skipped last week's Canadian Open as he felt some discomfort in a practice session shortly before the tournament. Now that he is back and ready to compete in Cincinnati, the Spaniard opened up about his recovery during an interview with Tennis TV.

He admitted that he needs to be patient to gradually find his best form after a long break.

"Here I am, you know. I need to go step by step, being completely honest. You know, stay calm and do the things the proper way. It's going to be the first week after a while and always abdominal tears are dangerous," Rafael Nadal said when asked about his recovery and his current situation.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion further explained that he is trying his best to be competitive ahead of his opening match, given that he has been short on match time since his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz. But the Spaniard's recovery update drew mixed reactions from fans on social media.

One fan took a very harsh stance on Nadal's injury, expressing displeasure at him talking about his injury.

"The tournament hasn't even started and hes already getting ready with the injury talk in every press conference," read a tweet.

But another stated that the Spaniard was simply answering a question posed to him. The fan also highlighted that Nadal has done well to recover from numerous injury issues over the years despite many people predicting his career would end much sooner.

"Rafa is asked about his injuries; therefore, he politely replies. Going back to early times in his career, a lot of specialists used to give Rafa a short tennis life span because of his game style. He has succeeded all these expectations and those who like him continue to enjoy," the tweet read.

Also check out: Cincinnati Open 2022 Results

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Rafael Nadal talking about his recovery from an abdominal tear:

"Something that I didn’t expect could happen again" - Rafael Nadal on his chance to become ATP No. 1 again

Western & Southern Open - Day 2

Rafael Nadal could become the new World No. 1 on the ATP tour if he wins the Cincinnati Open and current No. 1 Daniil Medvedev loses before the quarterfinals. But even if Nadal doesn't get there this week, he still has a great opportunity to become the top-ranked player later this season since he has very few points to defend over the remaining part of the year.

In that context, the 36-year-old said he was thrilled to have the opportunity and admitted that he did not expect to be in this position. At the same time, he added that he wants to remain cautious considering his injury issues.

"It means a lot to me to have that opportunity [to rise to No. 1]," Nadal said in a pre-tournament press conference. "Something that I didn’t expect could happen again. The main thing is to stay healthy and play the events that I want to play. I will not play more than what I believe works well for my body."

Nadal will kickstart his Cincinnati Open campaign on Wednesday, against the winner of the match between Borna Coric and Lorenzo Musetti. The Spaniard has won the Cincinnati Masters once before in 2013, when he won the Canadian Open and US Open as well for a sweep of the US Open series.