Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam Champion, has had a keyhole surgery on his left hip.
The 14-time French Open champion hasn’t played a competitive match since suffering the injury during his straight loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open on January 18, 2023. Initially, he was expected to return to the tour after eight weeks.
However, he couldn’t make a complete reovery from the injury and had to withdraw from Masters events at Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, alongside missing out playing in the Barcelona Open. Nadal also announced in a press conference that he won’t take part in the ongoing French Open, and 2024 could be his farewell year in the world of tennis. In fact, this was the first time in 19 years that Nadal couldn’t enter the main draw of the French Open.
Nadal has played just four games this year: two matches each at the United Cup and Australian Open. In March this year, Nadal also fell out of Top 10 in the ATP Singles Rankings. Incidentally, he holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings – April 2005 to March 2023.