Rafael Nadal's comeback has suffered an early setback. The 22-time Grand Slam singles champion announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Australian Open on Sunday due to what he called a "micro tear" in a muscle, suffered in his return to competition at the Brisbane International.
This week, Nadal won two matches in Queensland before losing to Australia's Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals 5-7, 7-6(6), 6-3, despite having three match points in the second set. The Spaniard received a medical timeout during the match, and told reporters afterwards that the pain he felt was in a "very similar place" to the hip injury that kept him sidelined for nearly 12 full months after last year's Australian Open.
An MRI in Melbourne revealed the diagnosis, but Nadal, 37, reassured fans that the new tear is not in the "same part" of his body as his previous injury. Last June, Nadal underwent successful surgery to repair his left psoas tendon and the labrum of his left hip.
“Right now, I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in five-set matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest," Nadal wrote on social media.
"Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowds, this is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season."
Nadal, a two-time Australian Open champion, was hoping to play the main draw of the tournament for the 19th time. In announcing his withdrawal from Roland Garros last May—the first French Open he missed since 2004—Nadal said that 2024 will likely be his last season on tour.
“I have worked very hard during the year [in 2023] for this comeback and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in three months,” Nadal continued. “This is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season.”
France's Quentin Halys moved into the main draw as a result of Nadal's withdrawal.
