Rafa Nadal sends huge warning to rivals in massive announcement
Rafa Nadal has announced he will be making his return to the tennis court at the Madrid Open ahead of his bid to extend his Roland Garros grand slam dominance.
The 13-time French Open winner has been away from the court after announcing he had suffered a stress fracture in his ribs following his loss to Taylor Fritz in the Indian Wells final.
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Nadal started 2022 on fire having won the Australian Open, Miami Open and reaching the Indian Wells final.
However, the Spaniard was clearly in discomfort in his final few matches back in February before announcing he would take 4-6 weeks out due to the injury.
Having missed Monte Carlo and the Barcelona Open, Nadal said he couldn't miss the opportunity to play in his home nation in the twilight of his career.
"Despite arriving just before the tournament and preparation being difficult, I really want to play at home since the opportunities are few," he said in a statement.
"So I'm going to try to do it in the best way I can. See you in Madrid."
Nadal's announcement on his clay court return signals a warning to his rivals.
Rafael Nadal plans to play in Madrid π https://t.co/uthU1yvosw
β US Open Tennis (@usopen) April 26, 2022
One of the greatest warriors to ever do it just announced his return to the battlefield next week at @MutuaMadridOpen π₯. If you got any desire to pull a little extra effort out of yourself in life, tune in to @TennisChannel and watch the great @RafaelNadal do what he do ππΎπͺπΎβπΎ pic.twitter.com/qHzXiirnoj
β Prakash Amritraj (@PrakashAmritraj) April 26, 2022
Nadal announces that he is planning to come back to the tour in Madrid despite lack of ideal preparation after the stress fracture in his ribs. He is eager to play in Spain at home https://t.co/1Qo58vFCFx
β Christopher Clarey πΊπΈ π«π· πͺπΈ (@christophclarey) April 26, 2022
Rafa Nadal makes tennis rankings history
Nadal will face some tough competition in his bid for a 22nd grand slam title.
Djokovic impressed at the Serbia Open after reaching the final, but fell short at Monte Carlo after returning to the clay court.
Nadal will also have to deal with the stardom of youngster Carlos Alcaraz after picking up the Barcelona Open title.
And Nadal took notice of his compatriot, congratulating Alcaraz on social media.
"Congratulations to Carlos for the title in Barcelona!" Nadal tweeted in Spanish.
"Also to Pablo for making the final. A spectacular week for both and for Spanish tennis that once again has a winner."
Most recently, Nadal became the first player ever to spend 17 years in the World Top 10.
The stretch dating back to 2005, which has seen him remain in the Top 10 regardless of various injuries, is the longest of its kind in men's tennis.
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