Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he wouldn’t take part in this year’s French Open due to a hip injury. The Spanish tennis player also said that he will likely retire after the 2024 tennis season.

Nadal didn’t play since January when he was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open by Mackenzie McDonald. The 37-year-old player was visibly bothered by a hip injury from which he still hasn’t recovered four months later.

Speaking with Spanish media this week, Nadal said that he wanted to play at French Open but that his body wasn’t ready for the challenge.

“Even though your head wants to keep going, your body says this is as far it goes,” Nadal told the reporters.

Nadal expects that he won’t be ready to play again for at least several months but does intend to make one final run next year.

“You never know how things will turn out, but my intention is that next year will be my last year,” he added.

Rafael Nadal is currently tied with Novak Djokovic for most Grand Slam titles with 22. More than half of those titles (14) came at French Open, where he has played every year since 2018 and has a 112-3 record. He was forced to withdraw at the 2016 French Open due to a wrist injury before the third round.

The post Rafael Nadal Won’t Play French Open; Says 2024 Will Be His Final Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal is looking to make his return from his hip injury at the Monte Carlo Masters next month, thereby giving himself some clay court action before the return of Roland Garros.

The tournament, which begins on April 8, will be Nadal’s first appearance since the Australian Open, which he pulled out of after picking up a left hip flexor injury. He also missed out on the Indian Wells and Miami Open Masters tournaments as a result of his injury.

“Rafa was the first [player] to be registered,” Monte Carlo Masters tournament director David Massey confirmed on Wednesday. “He really wants to play at the Monte Carlo Masters and is giving himself every chance to take part in the tournament he’s so fond of.”

At 36 years old, Rafael Nadal holds the record for most wins at the Monte Carlo Masters, winning the tournament a record 11 times. This includes an Open era record streak of eight consecutive titles from 2005 to 2012.

For Nadal, the Monte Carlo Masters is a key part of his preparation for the Roland Garros Grand Slam, where he has won 14 titles. Nadal has won a record 22-time Grand Slams throughout his career.

The post Nadal Eyes Monte Carlo For Injury Return appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal is the undisputed “King of Clay,” and he showed that once again at the 2020 French Open. Nadal faced the world’s No.1 Novak Djokovic in the tournament’s finals on Sunday and got a dominant 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win to claim his 20th, record-tying, Grand Slam.

Although he caught up to Roger Federer in terms of Grand Slam wins, Nadal wasn’t focused on that achievement. Instead, he embraced the fact that he won his 13th Roland Garros, more than anyone ever by a large margin, and that he did it without surrendering a single set in this year’s run.

“[To] win here means everything to me, no? It’s not the moment, honestly … [to] think today about the 20th,” said Nadal after the match. “Roland Garros means everything to me. I spent, here, the most important moments—or most of the most important moments—in my tennis career, no doubt about that.”

It sounds almost unbelievable, but Rafael Nadal owns a 100-2 record at French Open and is 26-0 in semi-finals and finals. His only two losses came in 2009 when he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round, and in 2015, when eventual champion Stan Wawrinka eliminated him in quarter-finals. The only other time that Nadal participated at Roland Garros but didn’t win was in 2016 when he had to withdraw due to wrist injury.

Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, remained at one French Open win and 17 Grand Slams. This was only his fourth loss to Nadal in the last 18 matches. Djokovic still holds a 29-27 head-to-head record.

“What you are doing in this court is unbelievable. Not just this court—throughout your entire career, you’ve been a great champion,” Djokovic told Nadal during the trophy presentation. “Today you showed why you are King of the Clay.”

The post Nadal Beats Djokovic at French Open to claim Record-Tying 20th Grand Slam appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he wouldn’t take part in this year’s French Open due to a hip injury. The Spanish tennis player also said that he will likely retire after the 2024 tennis season.

Nadal didn’t play since January when he was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open by Mackenzie McDonald. The 37-year-old player was visibly bothered by a hip injury from which he still hasn’t recovered four months later.

Speaking with Spanish media this week, Nadal said that he wanted to play at French Open but that his body wasn’t ready for the challenge.

“Even though your head wants to keep going, your body says this is as far it goes,” Nadal told the reporters.

Nadal expects that he won’t be ready to play again for at least several months but does intend to make one final run next year.

“You never know how things will turn out, but my intention is that next year will be my last year,” he added.

Rafael Nadal is currently tied with Novak Djokovic for most Grand Slam titles with 22. More than half of those titles (14) came at French Open, where he has played every year since 2018 and has a 112-3 record. He was forced to withdraw at the 2016 French Open due to a wrist injury before the third round.

The post Rafael Nadal Won’t Play French Open; Says 2024 Will Be His Final Season appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal is looking to make his return from his hip injury at the Monte Carlo Masters next month, thereby giving himself some clay court action before the return of Roland Garros.

The tournament, which begins on April 8, will be Nadal’s first appearance since the Australian Open, which he pulled out of after picking up a left hip flexor injury. He also missed out on the Indian Wells and Miami Open Masters tournaments as a result of his injury.

“Rafa was the first [player] to be registered,” Monte Carlo Masters tournament director David Massey confirmed on Wednesday. “He really wants to play at the Monte Carlo Masters and is giving himself every chance to take part in the tournament he’s so fond of.”

At 36 years old, Rafael Nadal holds the record for most wins at the Monte Carlo Masters, winning the tournament a record 11 times. This includes an Open era record streak of eight consecutive titles from 2005 to 2012.

For Nadal, the Monte Carlo Masters is a key part of his preparation for the Roland Garros Grand Slam, where he has won 14 titles. Nadal has won a record 22-time Grand Slams throughout his career.

The post Nadal Eyes Monte Carlo For Injury Return appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Rafael Nadal is the undisputed “King of Clay,” and he showed that once again at the 2020 French Open. Nadal faced the world’s No.1 Novak Djokovic in the tournament’s finals on Sunday and got a dominant 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 win to claim his 20th, record-tying, Grand Slam.

Although he caught up to Roger Federer in terms of Grand Slam wins, Nadal wasn’t focused on that achievement. Instead, he embraced the fact that he won his 13th Roland Garros, more than anyone ever by a large margin, and that he did it without surrendering a single set in this year’s run.

“[To] win here means everything to me, no? It’s not the moment, honestly … [to] think today about the 20th,” said Nadal after the match. “Roland Garros means everything to me. I spent, here, the most important moments—or most of the most important moments—in my tennis career, no doubt about that.”

It sounds almost unbelievable, but Rafael Nadal owns a 100-2 record at French Open and is 26-0 in semi-finals and finals. His only two losses came in 2009 when he lost to Robin Soderling in the fourth round, and in 2015, when eventual champion Stan Wawrinka eliminated him in quarter-finals. The only other time that Nadal participated at Roland Garros but didn’t win was in 2016 when he had to withdraw due to wrist injury.

Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, remained at one French Open win and 17 Grand Slams. This was only his fourth loss to Nadal in the last 18 matches. Djokovic still holds a 29-27 head-to-head record.

“What you are doing in this court is unbelievable. Not just this court—throughout your entire career, you’ve been a great champion,” Djokovic told Nadal during the trophy presentation. “Today you showed why you are King of the Clay.”

The post Nadal Beats Djokovic at French Open to claim Record-Tying 20th Grand Slam appeared first on SportzBonanza.