Carlos Alcaraz sent a message to Rafael Nadal following the news of the 37-year-old’s Australian Open withdrawal, wishing his idol to get well soon.
On Friday, Nadal suffered a three-set defeat to Jordan Thompson in the Brisbane International quarterfinal, in what was the Spaniard’s first tournament back after hip surgery. During the match, Nadal appeared to be troubled by a leg injury as he had an intervention on his left leg.
After the match, Nadal acknowledged that he may have sustained something that could prevent him from competing at the Australian Open. On Sunday, the worst fears became reality as the 22-time Grand Slam champion is set to miss the opening Major of the season due to a micro tear on his leg muscle.
“Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news. Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in 5 sets matches,” Nadal announced on Instagram on Sunday.
Rafael Nadal© Getty Images Sport – Chris Hyde
Alcaraz reacts to Nadal’s Australian Open withdrawal
“We are waiting for you in the next tournament Rafa! Get well soon!” Alcaraz wrote in the comment section.
Carlos Alcaraz comments Rafael Nadals Instagram post© Rafael Nadal – Instagram
When the week started and Nadal clinched back-to-back straight-set wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler, fans started becoming overly excited about the Spaniard’s comeback and his chances in 2024.
Rafael Nadal© Getty Images Sport – Bradley Kanaris
But then, Nadal suffered an injury during his Brisbane quarterfinal match against Thompson and the hopes of seeing the former world No. 1 win Brisbane in his first tournament back ended.
However, it is good to see that Nadal remains in positive spirits and that he is still pleased in ways about what he was able to do in Brisbane. It remains to be seen how long will Nadal need to overcome his muscle tear injury and when he will play again.