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Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal could miss the upcoming Barcelona and Madrid Open after failing to recover from his hip injury, which he suffered during the Australian Open earlier this year.
According to Spanish media outlet Cadena SER, Nadal, who is also known as the ‘King of Clay’, is unlikely to play in Barcelona and is also doubtful for Madrid.
It must be noted that Barcelona Open starts on April 17, with the tournament in Madrid scheduled to begin on April 26.
Nadal also missed the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters, which he has won a record 11 times.
“Hi everyone, I´m still not ready to compete at the highest level,” Nadal tweeted.
“I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo.”
The Monte Carlo tournament was a chance for Nadal to prepare for the French Open, which starts May 28.
Nadal said he was hoping to return soon from the hip flexor injury he sustained in in January, suffering a second round exit against Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open.
The last time Nadal fell so early at a Grand Slam was at the Australian Open in 2016, when he departed in the first round.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion also pulled out of hard-court tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.
Medvedev sets up Zverev clash in Monte Carlo
Daniil Medvedev cruised through his first match of the year on clay Wednesday, defeating Italian wild card Lorenzo Sonego 6-3, 6-2 at the Monte Carlo Masters to set up a meeting with Alexander Zverev.
Medvedev broke Sonego at the first attempt and then twice more in the second set to reel off his 25th win in his past 26 tour-level matches.
“Every match is a struggle (on clay), but I have had some good matches on clay,” said Medvedev. “I managed to play good against a very strong player on clay.”
“It´s completely different on clay, but confidence is confidence,” the third seed added.
“It´s about winning matches, because it is always two players that play, and one is going to win… I hope to bring this confidence even further.”
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