Rafael Nadal and the Australian Open: It's going to be tight
There is a big question mark behind RafaelNadal's start at the Australian Open after his positive corona test.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 21, 2021, 07:04 pm
There were words that almost got lost in the hustle and bustle of Rafael Nadal's positive corona test. "I'm going through some unpleasant moments, but I hope that I will recover little by little," wrote the 20-time Grand Slam winner on social networks regarding his infection.
The course in the completely immunized Spaniard should not be symptom-free. Another reason why participation in the Australian Open has become a long way off. Even after the Exhbition event in Abu Dhabi, Nadal had room for speculation , and in the game for third place against Denis Shapovalov, the problems on his left foot also seemed to affect him again.
It is clear that after his positive test, Nadal has to go into domestic isolation for at least ten days. If the symptoms have subsided, the 35-year-old should return to the field on December 30th at the earliest - the first charter plane takes off for Australia one day beforehand.
The ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne, for which Nadal has called, starts on January 4th. It seems more than unlikely that the world number six will be able to play competitively tennis again at this point in view of his not decreasing training deficit. Alternatively, Nadal could still play in Adelaide or Sydney in the week before the Australian Open. Either way: The Spaniard is slowly running out of time to properly prepare for the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.