Iconic Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Dubai Tennis and Qatar Open tournaments, leaving fans and the tennis community wondering what’s next for the ‘King of Clay’ master of ATP tennis. The season did not start very well for Nadal, who suffered a hip injury in the second round of the Australian Open against Mackenzie McDonald last month.
He has also been taking care of a foot ailment that has plagued him for many years in his career. «Sometimes it’s frustrating. Sometimes it’s hard to accept. Sometimes you feel super tired from all this, in terms of injuries,» says the Spanish multititle with disgust.
Doctors of the injured hip flexor have waited up to eight weeks for Rafa to make a full recovery. During the match with McDonald, Nadal’s suffering was evident. Mackenzie gave Nadal judos saying: «He’s trying to make the most of what he can do.
His body is not what it used to be.» But in the eye of Rafa’s opponent, he said that «I definitely think now is the best time to play against him.» It’s simply because of Rafa’s victory, which may not be anymore Such a difficult task.»It’s a difficult time,» said the Spaniard sadly.
But withdrawing from matches is not the first time for Rafa. He long ago admitted that he would do anything not to withdraw from a game he was playing due to injury or illness. Withdrawing and even not showing up, no matter how mentally difficult, might be better in the long run.
With Nadal out of the Dubai and Qatar events, other players have the chance to dig deeper into these tournaments that weren’t allowed when Rafa played in his prime. But now things are changing. The fact that the Spaniard will not show up in Dubai is not a big disappointment for him in terms of his career, as he has played it four times before.
He has also obtained a title from the prestigious event. The Qatar Open in Doha, Nadal has performed at it eight times and he deepened by reaching three finals with capturing a title from the Middle East event. Many are concerned about Nadal’s ranking, as he is unable to participate in some tournaments.
The Dubai event happens at the same time as the Mexico Open and not being accessible to either one may cause your no. 6 rankings to plummet to hundreds. As for the high-ranking players on the ATP tour, the future may be shaky even for Novak Djokovic to appear at Sunshine Double events.
He is fighting red tape to be allowed into the US despite not having received the required COVID vaccine. President Biden will enforce the ban from May 11, so the US Open for Djokovic is feasible. The Sunshine Double may very well not see Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic.
«I’m tired of talking about my body,» Nadal says even during the Australian Open after sustaining a hip injury. If Rafa can’t make it to Indian Wells, he’s not the defending champion anyway, but rather the defending finalist.
Last year she lost to Taylor Fritz in straight sets. As for the Miami Open last year, Nadal withdrew. He has never won the tournament in Miami, so trying to defend those two events isn’t really necessary.
