Nadal makes comparison with his 2009 US Open abdominal injury. He still hopes to play the ATP Finals

Rafael Nadal was positive about his chances of winning the Paris Masters when the tournament began last week. The 19-time Grand Slam champion played against some familiar opponents in Bercy. He defeated Stan Wawrinka in the round of 16 before beating Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, his tournament ended before his semifinal match against Denis Shapovalov. He suffered an abdominal injury while in a practice session before the match.

Nadal advised to withdraw in Paris

Rafa spoke to reporters to announce his withdrawal. He explained that he had sustained the injury while serving during practice. He consulted with his doctors about the pain and, upon further tests, the doctors advised him against playing the match. The medical team revealed that his chances of straining the muscle during a serve were huge and he would only make the injury worse. The doctors also relied on Nadal’s previous history with an abdominal injury.

Nadal’s abdominal injury at the US Open

The Spaniard suffered a similar injury during the opening rounds of the 2009 US Open. He continued playing at the Grand Slam event and made it to the semifinal. He lost the match to Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets. The Argentine player won the match 6-2 6-2 6-2 as Nadal struggled and the abdominal injury became more severe. The strain on his muscles had grown from around 7 millimeters at the beginning of the tournament to 28 millimeters during the semifinal match. The injury also affected his performance at the Davis Cup where the Spaniard was unable to play a semifinal match against Israel.

Djokovic closer to No.1 after winning Paris

After the injury recurred in Bercy, Nadal said he did not want to repeat of his previous experience which had him sidelined for a month. He will focus on recovering from the injury in time for the ATP Finals in London next week. His doctors have said that the injury is not too serious and the Spaniard hopes he will play in the finals. He is in line to play for Spain at the Davis Cup in Madrid. The tournament will begin after the ATP Finals. He is also in a race with Novak Djokovic for the year-end number one ranking. The Serbian won his fifth title in Paris and is now 640 points behind Rafa who started his 197^th week at number one on Monday.

Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019

Now the world no.1, Nadal played his last match on the 2^nd of November when he conceded the walk over to Denis Shapovalov in the semifinal in Paris.

This year Rafael has a 50-6 win-loss record. The Spaniard clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard was the finalist at the Australian Open.