Rafael Nadal’s presence in next week’s ATP Finals is still up in the air as he seeks greater clarity on the extent of the injury he sustained at the Paris Masters on Saturday.
The 19-time grand slam champion was forced to pull out of his semi-final clash with Dennis Shapovalov after hurting his abdomin during a practice session. It was a similar injury that forced him out of the same tournament 12 months ago. Nadal has only been able to play one tournament since winning the US Open in September. He missed the Asian swing due to inflammation in his left hand.
“I went through this in the past, so that’s why the recommendation of the doctors (was) to not play,” Nadal told reporters in the French capital. “I have to take that decision.”
Two days after his withdrawal, Nadal is set to undergo a further MRI after the previous test didn’t show a clear enough picture of the issue. His team has confirmed to Mundo Deportivo that the assessment will take place in Palma de Mallorca. The scan will then be sent to Nadal’s doctor, Ángel Ruiz-Cotorro. Ruiz-Cotorro’s findings will establish whether or not the Spaniard should play in the ATP Finals.
It is not the first time the 33-year-old has been in doubt for the season-ending event. He has been forced to miss three out of the past five ATP Finals tournaments due to injury. He missed the 2014 edition due to appendicitis, which required surgery. In 2016 it was a wrist injury that sidelined him and last year he missed the event due to an abdominal issue.
Nadal is currently in a battle with rival Novak Djokovic for the year-end No.1 position. On Monday he returned to the top spot for the first time since November last year after Djokovic’s points won 12 months ago in Paris and London dropped off. Nadal now leads the standings by 640 points, but up to 1500 points will be available at the ATP Finals.
“I’m sad to see that he’s injured because that’s not what you want to see, not for Rafa, not for any other athlete.” Djokovic said of his rival.
“Historically, he’s had suffered several injuries during the last part of the season. So I hope he can recover and compete in London.’
“He’s a great champion and obviously lots of respect for him.”
Nadal is the second oldest player to top the ATP rankings since they were established in 1973. He has now held the position for 197 weeks so far in his career, which is the seventh longest streak in history.
If Nadal does play in London next week and secure the year-end No.1, he would become the oldest player to ever do so.
Timeline of Nadal’s stints as world No.1 (as of 4/11/19)
| START August 18, 2008 |
END July 5, 2009 |
LENGTH 46 weeks |
|||
| June 7, 2010 | July 3, 2011 | 56 weeks | |||
| October 7, 2013 | July 6, 2014 | 39 weeks | |||
| August 21, 2017 | February 18, 2018 | 26 weeks | |||
| April 2, 2018 | May 13, 2018 | 6 weeks | |||
| May 21, 2018 | June 17, 2018 | 4 weeks | |||
| June 25, 2018 | November 4, 2018 | 19 weeks | |||
| November 4, 2019 | Present | 1 week |
