After suffering another injury in Brisbane, Rafael Nadal appears to be returning to the ATP 250 tournament in Doha. The Spaniard may return to competition by the end of February, having sustained a microtear in his first tournament after a 12-month absence. A lot of people were surprised when Nadal’s coach, Carlos Moya, decided to enter Doha instead of the clay competitions in Latin America. He has now explained his decision to choose a hard-court competition over clay.
The 37-year-old revealed last month that he was withdrawing from the Australian Open due to a microtear in his muscle, although he felt better that the problem wasn’t where his past injury had been. Nadal has since been listed as an entry for the Qatar Open, which takes place in Doha starting on February 19.
Given his supremacy on the surface, many assumed Nadal would try to compete in the clay events in Rio and Buenos Aires. However, he has now explained his decision to remain on hard courts, along with a preview of his upcoming schedule.
Moya expressed his thoughts about this change and said: “Surface changes are not easy. While it is true that clay should be better for your joints, going from hard to clay to going back to the US and then back to clay, we thought it was a bit excessive. That’s why we chose to make this calendar without so much change of surface.”
This indicates that Nadal is probably going to participate in one or both of the March Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami. These are hard-court competitions that take place before the European clay-court season. If Moya’s statements are a sign, the 22-time Grand Slam champion intends to play both hard courts rather than alternating between them to complete a sunshine double.
Moya further spoke about Nadal’s injury concern and said: “He has left his tendon much better than he had it before the injury. The injury itself is not serious; it can happen. But when you come from where you come from, with those hard months you had, seeing yourself so close to returning to a very decent version is a shame. He wanted to play the Australian Open.”
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Currently the world no.649, the Spaniard played his last match on the 5th of January when he lost to world no.44 Jordan Thompson 5-7 7-6(6) 6-3 in the quarter in Brisbane (draw).
This year Nadal has managed to achieve a 2-1 win-loss record.
He is also scheduled to play in Barcelona (Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell) after Doha. The main draw will start on the 19th of February.
Rafael Nadal |
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