Record Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal has to take a break of four to six weeks after his strong start to the season and will probably miss the start of the tennis clay court season. The Australian Open champion suffered a stress fracture of a rib in Indian Wells, Nadal tweeted on Tuesday: “This is not good news and I did not expect it.” He was “depressed and sad” because he had a good start to the season.
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The 35-year-old reported breathing problems after losing the final to American Taylor Fritz at the Masters 1000 tournament in California last Sunday. After returning to Spain, he had himself examined more closely. The renewed injury and forced break is a setback for the clay court specialist in preparing for the French Open. The pre-season tournament in Barcelona, which he won 12 times, starts on April 18 and is expected to take place without him. The French Open in Paris is scheduled for May 22nd. In Paris, the left-hander has triumphed 13 times.
At the start of the season this year, Nadal made his comeback after a serious foot injury with the Australian Open and a total of 21 degree Slam titles as the record winner. He also won the ATP tournaments in Melbourne and Acapulco. It wasn’t until the Indian Wells final that he suffered his first loss of the season.
