Rafael Nadal - The plan gets messed up
Rafael Nadal will miss the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal due to an abdominal muscle injury. Of course, this also affects the preparation for the US Open.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Aug 06, 2022, 08:14 am
Despite the successful season so far, Rafael Nadal has already had to cope with some setbacks in 2022. After the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells it was a rib injury that put the Spaniard out of action, but he had to struggle with major problems in his left foot throughout the clay court season.
So now it's the abs that thwart Nadal's plans. These had already destroyed the dream of the Grand Slam in Wimbledon and are currently also affecting preparation for the US Open in New York, which begins on August 29th, where the Mallorcan has already won the title four times.
Nadal feels comfortable in Canada
Originally, Nadal wanted to get in the mood for the last Grand Slam tournament of the year at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Montreal. In Canada, the 22-time Grand Slam champion always felt at home, he celebrated a total of five tournament victories in the course of his career in the second largest country in the world.
Nadal's relationship with the event in Cincinnati, on the other hand, is much less intimate, where the now 36-year-old always struggled. Although the Iberian also won in Ohio in 2013, the heavy balls hardly suit Nadal's topspin-heavy game and are the main reason why he hasn't served in Cincinnati since 2017.
Will Nadal come to New York without a preparatory tournament?
Nadal actually wanted to skip the event this year as well, but in view of the ongoing abdominal muscle problems, the starting position has now changed. Because it is hard to imagine that the long-standing world number one travels to the US Open without a preparatory tournament.
Of course, there would still be the ATP 250 tournament in Winston-Salem, which takes place immediately before the last major event of the season. However, the past has shown that Nadal likes to prepare on site in the week before a big tournament in order to be able to get used to the conditions. So questions after questions to which Rafael Nadal will have to find answers in the coming days and weeks.