Rafael Nadal is having surgery the night before his 37th birthday to try and alleviate the injury issue that has sidelined him since the 2023 Australian Open.
Since beginning on Sunday, the French Open has produced terrific drama. Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are among those fighting to win the men's singles, and they could meet in the semifinals.
Although there are many great players to watch at Roland-Garros, as always, Nadal's absence leaves a hole that cannot be filled. His 14 French Open titles are extraordinary. No other man or woman has dominated that much at a Grand Slam.
Fans were devastated when Nadal announced he could not compete at the clay-court Grand Slam, but he is already taking measures to get fit again as soon as possible.
Nadal will undergo surgery on the left psoas muscle in his hip. He sustained an injury in that area at the Australian Open, which is what has kept him sidelined from professional tennis ever since.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is having the surgery just a few hours before his 37th birthday, and he will get the vital results from the surgery on his birthday.
Hopefully, the experienced team carrying out Nadal's surgery means he is in good hands. His long-term physician, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, and the duo of Dr. Marc Phillippon and Dr. Ramon Vilaro are in charge of the procedure.
Negative results from the surgery would ruin Nadal's birthday. His bad luck with injuries since sustaining an injury in the Wimbledon quarterfinal last year against Taylor Fritz means he probably feels like some good luck is overdue.
It is uncertain whether Nadal will be able to get back to a level good enough to challenge for Grand Slams again, but the Spaniard has proved doubters wrong on many occasions, and he could easily do so again.