Rafael Nadal is planning to play on clay after recovering from a hip injury, and he will be wearing a new outfit on his favorite surface.
Nadal's comeback on hard courts was short-lived. He played just one ATP tournament at the start of January in Brisbane. There, he scored a pair of high-quality wins but squandered multiple match points in a quarterfinal defeat to Jordan Thomspon.
The 37-year-old legend suffered another hip injury for the second time, although his treatment lasted only a few weeks. He was expected to return at the ATP 250 event in Doha. Sadly, Nadal did not make it to the Middle East and stated that he required additional recuperation time.
During his time away from the sport, he sustained his fitness by playing golf and won a mid-amateur tournament in his native Spain in February. Nadal confirmed that he would play in Indian Wells at the start of March.
He even had his outfit sewn up for the tournament. But before that, he was scheduled to appear in Las Vegas for a marquee match against Carlos Alcaraz as part of the first-ever Netflix Slam. He lost the match in a third-set super tie-break in front of nearly 10,000 fans.
It is believed that Nadal hurt himself during the match, which prompted him to withdraw from Indian Wells as a precaution just a day before his first match at the tournament. Instead, Nadal hinted at his ATP comeback on clay with a symbolic post on social media.
Now, it is almost official, following the release of the Monte-Carlo Masters entry list, which features the 22-time Grand Slam champion as part of the lineup. The tournament commences next month, where Nadal will don an iris purple drift Nike top and shorts.
There is a touch of orange on the collar of the t-shirt and sleeves. He will also wear white custom-made Nike shoes with an orange colorway of the logo and sole. A sneak peek of the outfit that Nadal will wear during the clay-court tournaments leading to Roland Garros can be seen below.
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