MADRID, 22 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal, number three in the world, will be out for between four and six weeks after confirming that he suffers from a stress crack in the third left costal arch that occurred during the Indian Wells semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz, a mishap that interrupts his great start to the season and that leaves him “down and sad”.
“It’s not good news and I didn’t expect this. I’m down and sad because after the start of the season that I’ve had so good, I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results,” said the Spaniard, who Sunday interrupted his spectacular start to the season by losing in the final of the US tournament against local Taylor Fritz (6-3, 7-6(5)).
However, the man from Manacor is optimistic and hopes to come back stronger to continue improving his balance of 20-1 at the beginning of the course. “I have always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again I would like to thank everyone for their support,” he said.
Nadal returned to Spain on Tuesday, and as soon as he landed in Madrid he went to Barcelona to be treated by his medical team, led by Dr. Ángel Ruiz-Cotorro, who confirmed that the tennis player will have to be between four and six weeks off.
“Mr. Rafael Nadal Parera presents after the pertinent NMR and CT tests, a stress crack in the third left costal arch that occurred in the semifinal match on Saturday in Indian Wells. The estimated time for his return to sports activity is four to six weeks,” he concluded.