Rafael Nadal’s preparations for the upcoming clay-court season have suffered a significant setback after he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his rib following his straight-sets loss to Taylor Fritz in the final of Indian Wells on Sunday.
Nadal will be out for four to six weeks, a layoff that would see him miss the Monte Carlo Masters and make an appearance at the Barcelona Open unlikely. He would face a rush to return for the Madrid Open at the beginning of May.
“As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks,” said Nadal in a statement on social media after undergoing tests in Spain. “This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am downcast and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time.”
Before Sunday’s final against Fritz, Nadal’s season had been a revelation.
After being forced away from competition for nearly six months due to a foot injury, Nadal rose to achieve his greatest start to a season in his 20th year.
Nadal won his first 20 matches of 2022 including his 21st grand slam title at the Australian Open and other titles in Acapulco and Melbourne.