Rafael Nadal withdraws from Roland Garros due to hip injury

article content

The King of Clay will not win another title this year.

article content

Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he is withdrawing from the French Open due to an ongoing hip injury that has kept him out of action since January and that he expects 2024 to be the final season of his career.

article content

The record holder of 14 clay court Grand Slam championships will miss that title for the first time since his debut there in 2005.

article content

Nadal, who turns 37 next month, announced the news of his retirement – and his future plans – during a press conference at his tennis academy in Manacor, Spain. He said he doesn’t want to set a date for his return to the tennis tour but expects it to be months away.

And then the 22-time Grand Slam winner added: “You never know how things will go, but I intend next year to be my last year.”

article content

The games begin on May 28 at Roland Garros in Paris. Nadal has a career record of 112-3 in 18 French Open appearances, a level of dominance unmatched by any man or woman in a Grand Slam event in the sport’s long history that dates back to the 19th century th century. When Nadal won the trophy last year at the age of 36 while suffering from chronic foot pain, he became the oldest champion in tournament history.

Nadal’s birthday is June 3rd. Normally he could have played his third round match at Court Philippe Chatrier. Instead, like most of this season, he will be out of action.

The Spaniard has not competed anywhere since losing to Mackie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open on January 18, when his movements were clearly limited by an interfering left hip flexor. That was Nadal’s earliest Grand Slam exit since 2016.

An MRI scan the next day revealed the extent of the injury and his manager said at the time that Nadal is expected to take up to two months to fully recover. Originally aiming to return to his beloved red clay court at the Monte Carlo Masters in March, he was unable to play there and subsequently had to sit out tournament after tournament, reducing the likelihood of him fully recovering in time for the French would be Open.

Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Want a bet? Visit our sports betting section for news and odds.