Rafael Nadal shoots down reports of Monte Carlo Masters comeback - ‘I don’t know when I’ll play again’
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Updated 28/03/2023 at 07:07 GMT
Hopes of Rafael Nadal returning from injury in Monte Carlo next month look slim after the Spaniard rubbished reports that he will compete at the clay-court event. The 36-year-old has been out with a leg injury since suffering a second round exit at the Australian Open in January. In response to a rumoured return, he said: "I don't know when I'll play again, that's the truth."
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Rafael Nadal has denied that he will return from injury at the Monte Carlo Masters in April, insisting that he can't put a time frame on a comeback.
The 22-time Grand Slam singles winner hasn’t featured since a second round Australian Open exit at the hands of Mackenzie McDonald, after which medical tests flagged up a muscular injury in his left leg.
Nadal withdrew from Indian Wells and the Miami Open as he focused on returning to full fitness, but hopes were raised of an imminent comeback after the Monte Carlo Masters tweeted that Nadal was "definitely able to win his 12th trophy in Monte Carlo despite his last injury".
However, Nadal has now denied that a comeback is imminent.
“I don't know who gets this information,” he said, as reported by Marca.
“Obviously, if it were true, I would confirm it, but unfortunately, I can't. I'm following my course and I don't know when I'll play again, that's the truth.
“I'm in a phase of increasing work. If I knew when I was going to return, I would say so, but I don't know.
"I can't confirm that I will play in Monte Carlo, things are seen day by day. I prefer to say things when I really know them.”
The Monte Carlo Masters runs from 8-16 April, kicking off the clay-court season during which Nadal has enjoyed so much success in his career.
The Spaniard will be hoping to be ready for Roland-Garros at the end of May, the next Grand Slam event of the year, where he has won a record 14 titles.
Before then, there are also ATP Masters 1000 clay-court events on the calendar in Madrid and Rome.
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'Uncle' Toni Nadal, meanwhile, has predicted two venues where the 36-year-old could play the last match of his career.
"In Madrid or at Roland-Garros,” he told Marca. “The time will come and he will decide. When you lift a trophy you convince yourself that you still have something to give.
“It's hard to retire winning. I think Sampras did it. I haven't talked about that with Rafa. I don't know how much it fits him. If he fully recovers, let him keep playing and we'll see."
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