Rafael Nadal out for 4-6 weeks following injury

Following his tremendous run in the 2022 tennis season, Nadal moved up to No. 3 in ATP rankings replacing Alexander Zverev.

Rafael Nadal is sidelined again with 4-6 weeks following a “stress injury to his rib” that the Spaniard suffered during the semifinal of the BNP Paribas Open, as quoted by Racquet Magazine senior editor Ben Rothenberg, reported MARCA. 

Nadal had complained about pain during his match against Reilly Opelka at the Indian Wells quarterfinals the second set, and it was anticipated that the 35-year-old will face problems later on. The 21-time Grand Slam champion then reached the final of the tournament defeating Carlos Alcaraz and lost to Taylor Fritz in the battle of title.

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Rafa had missed majors including Tokyo Olympics 2020 previous year following injuries. He was then sidelined for four months because of a foot injury before he made a tremendous comeback to the 2022 tennis season with a title at the ATP Cup Summer Set. Nadal then clinched the historical first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne followed by a trophy at Mexican Open as well. Following his incredible run in the 2022 season, he moved up to No. 3 in ATP rankings replacing Alexander Zverev.

The Spanish professional won three trophies in 2022 reaching the final of the Indian Wells Masters extending his winning streak to 20 matches. World No. 3 Nadal had withdrawn from the ongoing tournament Miami Open and is expected to be available for his favourite Grand Slam, French Open.