Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Rome next week but has given fans reasons to be encouraged ahead of Roland Garros.
The news means that Nadal will head into the second Grand Slam of the season without playing a single clay court event.
Nadal hasn’t played since the Australian Open as he continues to recover from injury.
There was slight hope that Nadal may have played one of Barcelona, Madrid or Rome heading into his favourite Grand Slam of the season.
However that hope was dashed by Nadal in a social media post today as he confirmed his withdrawal from the event in Italy, “I am very sorry to announce that I will not be able to be in Rome,” Nadal wrote on Twitter and Instagram in Spanish.
“You all know how much it hurts me to miss another one of the tournaments that have marked my professional and personal career for all the love and support of the Italian fans.
“Despite having noticed an improvement in recent days, there have been many months without having been able to train at a high level and the readaptation process has its times and I have no choice but to accept them and continue working.”
The news has offered fans slight hope that Nadal will be able to defend his Roland Garros title as he bids to win it for a 15th time.
However there are bigger issues at hand for Nadal as doubts start to mount as to when the Spaniard will be able to plan on the tour again.
Only time will tell whether Nadal will be able to compete at the second Grand Slam of the year, which takes place on the 28th of May.
