Nadal Reveals He Never Stopped Practicing Even After Indian Wells Withdrawal

Friday, 22 March 2024 at 07:00

byZachary Wimer

Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Indian Wells Open due to an apparent injury, but he has some good news for fans who might be worried about his status.

After injuring himself in Australia earlier this year, Nadal skipped a few events. He opted against his initial plan of returning to the Qatar Open in Doha, wanting to give himself more time to prepare properly.

When he finally stepped onto the court against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas at the Netflix Slam, fans were overjoyed. He looked good and played well, which was great to see. Happiness didn't last long, though.

Not long after that, he withdrew from the Indian Wells Open, and when reports of another injury surfaced, fans were devastated. However, only a few days later, Nadal shared some good news with his fans, and it came during his recent interview with Marca.

During the interview, Nadal mentioned that he didn't really stop practicing after his Indian Wells Open withdrawal, which is great news for fans who want to see him back on the tennis court.

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If he was truly injured, especially badly, then he wouldn't have been practicing all this time, so that's good news. He also said he felt fine, which is another positive detail.

"I've not stopped training at any time. I'm trying all the time. I feel fine, I just haven't managed to follow the schedule I would have liked to. Hopefully things can change, but as you can imagine I can't say because I don't know myself."

He still hasn't confirmed any comeback date, but the Spanish player will likely target the Monte-Carlo Masters while keeping a realistic approach.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm optimistic or not; I'm a realist. For the last year and a half or two it's been impossible for me to compete, so the first objective is to try to compete and I'm going day by day."