By Daily Sports Nigeria on March 23, 2022

Rafael Nadal complained of breathing difficulties during defeat in final of Indian Wells tournament; Spaniard will now be out for up to six weeks; "This is not good news and I did not expect this," Nadal wrote on Twitter; French Open, which Nadal has won 13 times, starts on May 22

Rafael Nadal will be out of action for up to six weeks due to a stress fracture of the rib, denting his build-up up to the French Open in late May.

Nadal complained of breathing difficulties during his straight-sets defeat to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, having initially sought treatment during his semi-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal will almost certainly miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, tournaments he has won 11 and 12 times respectively, and he could also be forced to sit out the Madrid Open at the beginning of May.

Rafael Nadal will be out of action for up to six weeks due to a stress fracture of the rib, denting his build-up up to the French Open in late May.

Nadal complained of breathing difficulties during his straight-sets defeat to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, having initially sought treatment during his semi-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz.

Nadal will almost certainly miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open, tournaments he has won 11 and 12 times respectively, and he could also be forced to sit out the Madrid Open at the beginning of May.

Writing on Twitter, Nadal said: "Hello everyone, I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort.

"As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for four to six weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this.

"I am down and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time. I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results.

"But I've always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again I thank everyone for the support."

Speaking after Sunday's defeat to American player Fritz, Nadal had said: "It's tough for me to breathe. When I try to breathe, it's painful and it's very uncomfortable.

"When I'm breathing, when I'm moving, it's like a needle all the time inside here. I get dizzy a little bit because it's painful.

Source Sky Sports

Posted March 23, 2022

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