It’s anything but a surprise: Rafael Nadal announced this Thursday his package for the Monte-Carlo Masters 1,000, which begins on Sunday. The master of ocher will therefore miss the start of the clay court season, while the end of his career is being written with a big question mark.
“Unfortunately, I have to tell you that I am not going to play in Monte-Carlo,” said the 37-year-old Spaniard this Thursday on his social networks. My body simply doesn’t allow me to do it. »
The man with 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 at Roland-Garros, has not played an official meeting since the ATP 250 in Brisbane at the beginning of January. In Australia, he made his return to the circuit after a year of absence, due to a broken body.
He wants to “keep hope and desire”
“Although I continue to work and give my best every day, hoping to be able to play the tournaments that meant so much to me, the reality is that to this day I cannot,” continued the Majorcan. “All I have to do is accept the situation and look to the immediate future while continuing to maintain hope and the desire to give myself a chance for things to improve. »
Nadal has already announced that 2024 will “probably” be his last year on the tour. It now simply remains to be seen whether we will see him again one day on a court.