Rafael Nadal will miss Australian Open 2024

• Nadal picked another injury on his hip at the Brisbane International Open
• Nadal had earlier defeated Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1, and Jason Kubler
• He will fly back to Spain to seek treatment from his doctor

Rafael Nadal will miss Australian Open 2024.

The 37-year-old Spaniard shocked his fans on Wednesday with his announcement of missing the 2024 Australian Open. His fans had a lot of expectation of his return to tennis following an 11-month hiatus in 2023.

Why Rafael Nadal Will Miss Australian Open 2024

Nadal picked up another injury on his hip at the Brisbane International Open last week. He lost to Jordan Thompson in the quarter-final of the ATP 250 event. Thompson defeated Nadal 7-5, 6-7(6), 3-6 ending his impressive run at the event.

Nadal had earlier defeated Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1, and Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2 in his opening two singles matches in his comeback event.

It was while playing against Thompson that he developed discomfort in his hip which he first dismissed as a supercharged muscle acting up.

However, he was optimistic that he would play at the first Grand Slam event after a few days rest but this is not the case.

Rafael Nadal. Photo/Hindustan times

In a statement, Nadal told his fans that he would miss the Melbourne event because of a muscle micro tear as imaged in his most recent MRI scan.

He also explained that this micro tear is in a different place from the hip region where he underwent surgery in June 2023.

“Hi everyone, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem with a muscle which as you know made me worry. Once I arrived in Melbourne I had the chance to have an MRI and I have a micro tear on a muscle not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news,” the statement read.

When Will Rafael Nadal Play Tennis?

Nadal still has hopes of playing in other major tournaments despite this setback. He admits that he is not in the right physical shape to play at the Australian Open.

His plan is to fly back to Spain to his doctor for further treatment and hopefully, his recovery goes well.

“Right now I’m not ready to compete at the highest level of demand in 5 set matches. So I will go back to Spain to see my doctor, get treatment and rest. I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback and, as I have always said, my goal is to reach my best level in 3 months.

“Besides the sad news for me of not being able to play in front of the fantastic Melbourne crowd, it’s not bad news and we all remain optimistic about the progress of the season. I really wanted to play here in Australia and I had the chance to play some matches which made me very happy and positive,” he said.

Rafael Nadal Injury at Brisbane International Open

Rafael Nadal. Photo/The Times

Speaking at a press briefing after the quarter-final match in Brisbane, Nadal clarified that he felt discomfort in his right hip.

He explained that the discomfort he experienced differed from the intense pain he endured in 2023 at the Australian Open when he suffered a deep hip injury.

The Mallorcan elaborated that during the Australian Open in 2023, it was his injured tendon that made him feel excruciating pain. In the most recent case, he was right that it was his muscle.

“I feel more muscle. Last year was tendon. I feel the muscle tired. I mean, for sure is not the same like last year at all because when it happened last year, I felt something drastic immediately,” he remarked.

Nadal is happy with his performance at the Brisbane International Open because it gives him a ray of hope. Nevertheless, he is satisfied with his performance at the Brisbane Open following his lengthy hiatus.

He has promised to return to training after the Australian Open ends but it is confusion galore for his fans who are speculating he will retire this year.