MONTE CARLO: Rafael Nadal is still uncertain when he can return to competitive tennis after withdrawing from this month’s ATP event in Barcelona as he recovers from a rib injury, his team told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Spaniard, who has won 21 Grand Slam singles titles, was ruled out last month for up to six weeks with a stress fracture in his rib.

The 35-year-old has withdrawn from this month’s Barcelona Open.

“Rafa has just been withdrawn from the entry list in Barcelona,” the team said in a statement sent to Reuters.

“We don’t know yet when he will be at his first tournament on clay this year. Hopefully, soon.”

Nadal complained of a chest issue during his run to the final of the ATP 1000 event in Indian Wells, California last month.

After Nadal went down to his first loss of the year to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final, the 35-year-old Spaniard said he had suffered a stress fracture of a rib in the semi-final against 18-year-old compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.

He has already missed the Miami Masters on hard court and Monte Carlo, which opens the European clay court season.

The next Masters events are Madrid starting on May 1 and then Rome beginning on May 8. Nadal would be hoping to participate to get matches under his belt before the May 22-June 5 French Open, which he has won a record 13 times.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2022