Rafael Nadal has not yet left Spain but intends to depart for France on Wednesday to continue his pre-tournament routine before the start of Roland Garros.
Nadal's long-term foot injury resurfaced at the Italian Open during a third-round match against Denis Shapovalov, and he was beaten in three sets by the Canadian. It was his earliest defeat in Rome since 2008.
This also means that Nadal will head to Roland Garros later this month without a single clay-court title in his bag this year, which is something very unusual.
Outside the pandemic-hit 2020 season, the last time Nadal failed to win a trophy on his favorite surface before Roland Garros was during his injury-plagued 2015 season. That year, he suffered just his second loss at the French Open in the quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic.
The Spanish lefty looked very worried as he lamented living with the injury for many years after the defeat in Rome. It's not a pleasant condition, giving him chronic pain during matches, and it particularly gets worse on clay.
With Roland Garros looming large, Nadal traveled back home to Mallorca for treatment and preparation. He posted a photo of himself in Manacor, assuring his fans and followers that he will compete at the clay-court major.
"Today in Manacor, at the Rafa Nadal Academy…See you Wednesday, Paris."
He wrote that he would be in Paris on Wednesday, which is similar to his usual routine ahead of the French Open. Fans will be hoping to see a fully healthy Nadal in Paris so he can produce his best tennis as he has in his previous 13 triumphs at the event.
Still, this has been a great first half of the campaign for Nadal, who won three hard-court titles, including the Australian Open, in the first two months of the season.