World No. 2 Rafael Nadal’s doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro has made a shock admission about the Spaniard’s latest injury setback.
Nadal pulled out of this month’s ‘Sunshine Double’ — the Indian Wells and the Miami Masters after the hip injury, which he originally suffered at the Australian Open in January, came back to haunt him once again in Acapulco at the end of February.
After his painful exit from the Australian Open, Nadal was expected to make his comeback to action after undergoing a rehabilitation program under the supervision of his doctor for about 4-5 weeks.
But, 16-time Grand Slam champion Nadal withdrew from the Mexican Open and rescheduled his return for the upcoming European clay-court swing, which will start in April at the picturesque Monte Carlo Country Club in Monaco, where Nadal is a 10-time champion.
The clay-court season is a major goal for the Majorcan as that is where he has tasted most of his success.
However, his doctor Cotorro has disclosed to Spanish outlet El Espanol that Nadal’s injury has come as a shock. According to Cotorro, the hip injury sustained by the former World No. 1 shouldn’t have recurred after Nadal’s first phase of rehabilitation.
“Medicine is not two by two, it is not an exact science, unfortunately,” Cotorro said.
“What happened to Rafa can happen, but because of his evolution there was nothing that made us think that this would happen.
“He was training normal, very strong, and without noticing any discomfort. Nor did he feel charged. Suddenly, in a movement, he had a puncture and … Sometimes these things heal, it seems that everything is fine, and it can happen.
“We have studied it and it is not usual what happened, it should not have been repeated in the time we have had.
“Five weeks was more than enough time to recover.”
