Carlos Alcaraz's title-less streak reaches six months.
Rafael Nadal has revealed that he will not feature at the Australian Open due to a muscle tear sustained in preparation.
Carlos Alcaraz has sent a message of support to Rafael Nadal after his fellow Spaniard announced that he has withdrawn from the Australian Open this month. Nadal has sustained a muscle tear but insists that it is a different injury to the problem that kept him sidelined for almost a year.
Nadal returned to the court this week at the Brisbane International after undergoing surgery on a hip flexor injury that prevented him from competing for 12 months. The 37-year-old cruised to victories over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler after returning to the court before tasting defeat at the hands of Jordan Thompson.
During the defeat, Nadal was given a medical timeout and struggled with an injury for the remainder of the match. As a result, he has opted to withdraw from the Australian Open so that he can return to Spain and seek help from his doctor and rest.
Support poured in for Nadal, with Alcaraz among those to send a message of support. He replied on Instagram: “We are waiting for you in the next tournament Rafa! Get well soon!”
That was in response to a heartfelt message which was shared by Nadal on his social media accounts which read: “Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.
“Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in 5 sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest. I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in 3 months.”
Alcaraz has made his admiration of Nadal no secret, and the pair are set to face off in Las Vegas in a special exhibition match set to be broadcast on Netflix in March. The younger Spaniard is also keen to link up with the 22-time Grand Slam winner in the doubles at the Olympics for Spain before he ultimately decides to retire.
Alcaraz told COPE: “It would be a dream. Not only to win a medal at singles or doubles, but just to live the experience of playing a doubles with your idol, would be a memory that I would keep with special affection.”
