Nadal has made statements that have rightly alarmed his supporters: this is just the way it can’t be anymore.
It is in some ways a very similar nightmare that Matteo Berrettini and Rafael Nadal are living. Both the Roman tennis player and the multiple Slam champion seem, in fact, unable to find peace. The Iberian has spent his life battling Muller-Weiss syndrome, but his ordeal is not over yet. The injury he suffered in Brisbane still gives him no respite.
Idem for the 2021 Wimbledon finalist. The foot problem, a consequence of his August 31 fall at the Us Open, seemed like a no-brainer. Instead, it ended up keeping him off the court for 6 months, which could become 7 or even more. Although for diametrically opposite reasons, then, the two athletes are unable to do the one thing they want to do: play tennis. Both have been forced to postpone their respective returns again and again, and there is still no end in sight, unfortunately, to this long and winding tunnel.
Berrettini’s name is known to be on the Indian Wells qualifying entry list. It is not certain, however, that he will eventually participate. Nadal, for his part, on the other hand, announced in the past few hours that he has taken steps to cancel the event he was scheduled to attend between now and then.
Nadal as Berrettini: hope Indian Wells
On the calendar of Roger Federer’s historic rival was the Doha tournament, but in the end he did not feel like taking the court. He thus officially announced his decision, which is sensational because it confirms, precisely, how problematic the situation is.
“I would have loved to play in Doha – these are Rafa’s words – where the organizers and the fantastic fans in Qatar have always supported me tremendously. Unfortunately, I am not ready to compete and will not be able to come to Doha, where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable victory in 2014.” After the Australian Open forfeit, then, a new forfeit is added to the already very long list of tournaments missed by the Manacor left-hander.
And Nadal, at this point, is legitimately tried. Anyone in his place would be. “Every injury for me, no matter how small, is a step backwards physically, technically and also mentally,” said the Spanish champion, giving a good idea of how these countless stop&go have left their mark. The hope now is that he will be able to recover in time, at least that, for the Indian Wells Masters 1000. And who knows, the tournament in the California desert may not decree a new beginning for both him and our Berrettini.