Former world No.1 Rafael Nadal has tested positive for COVID-19. Nadal on Monday revealed he tested positive for coronavirus when he arrived in Spain.
This follows his return from injury at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last week.
“I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that has been performed on me when I arrived in Spain,” he tweeted.
The 35-year-old, Rafael Nadal said he had tested covid positive while in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi. As recent as Friday last week, he was tested negative for coronavirus.
Aug 4, 2021; Washington, DC, USA; Rafael Nadal is ready for US Open. Photo/ Scott Taetsch/USA TODAY Sports
While he admitted to having some terrible moments, the 20-time Grand Slam champion expressed hope that he will feel better soon. He promised to keep fans updated on his intentions for upcoming events in the meanwhile.
“I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me.”
Nadal expressed pessimism in participating in the Australian Open next month in January following the COVID-19 bout. He promised to keep his fans informed of any decisions about his future tournaments.
Two close defeats by Andy Murray and Denis Shapovalov marked the Spaniard’s return from injury in the exhibition event. It was his first competitive appearance since the Citi Open in Washington in August.
Injuries to his foot sidelined Nadal for more than a quarter of the season. After he was knocked out in the semi-finals of Roland Garros, he withdrew from the Wimbledon Championships, the Tokyo Olympics, and the US Open.
Nadal lost to Murray and Shapovalov in close matches.
However, the Spaniard stated that he would not have returned to tennis if he did not believe he could fight for the sport’s highest honors.
“It’s more than six months since the last real official match. Things are difficult and I accept that… I was able to compete in both matches and even had my chances, so if we put that in perspective it’s a very positive thing.”
“I went through this process, unfortunately, a lot of times in my tennis career but I need to practice and I need to be healthy enough to go through this process. If that happens, I’m confident that I will be back.”
The Spaniard says that he is not looking for a comeback in tennis with a motivation for money but for fun. A few days ago, he said that playing tennis helps him achieve his goals or at least, enjoy the process of achieving these goals.
Rafael Nadal. Photo/Tennis World USA
Whether he wins or not, he is fine with it but ‘motivation and passion are still there’.
Nadal was ready for a comeback in 2022 going by a recent video during a training session action in Abu Dhabi.
It was expected that the Australian Open, would restart Nadal’s long-running battle with Novak Djokovic. He is attempting to add his 21st Grand Slam title in the first tournament for 2022.
Both players are presently deadlocked on 20 Grand Slams. The Australian Open 2022 will be another opportune moment for these two players to square out their rivalry.
Former top ten star Fernando Gonzalez told Tennis365 that it is tough differentiating Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer. The trio has individually proven their mettle.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login