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Rafael Nadal withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open on Monday (January 8) citing a muscle tear in his left hip. The Spaniard has now missed 15 Majors due to injuries in his career.
Nadal had been out of action since last year's Melbourne Slam due to a hip injury. The 37-year-old underwent surgery but was ruled out for the rest of the 2023 season.
Last month, Rafael Nadal announced that he would play at the 2024 Brisbane International. The Spaniard's much-awaited return, however, was cut short as a hip injury flared up during his three-set quarterfinal loss to home favorite Jordan Thompson.
He took to social media the next day to reveal that he will miss this year's Australian Open. While the news has upset the tennis universe greatly, one cannot help but wonder how injuries have severely constrained the humble bull's career.
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Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros debut in 2004 was derailed due to his chronic foot issue
Rafael Nadal had a run-in with a serious injury very early in his career. Having turned pro in 2001, the then-teenager showed immense promise with his topspin forehand and foot speed. However, his dynamic playing style soon took a toll on his young body.
The Spaniard suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle during the European claycourt swing in 2004, forcing him out of the French Open. He also sat out of that year's Wimbledon during his three-month break from pro tennis. And while the then-18-year-old struggled with his form for the remainder of the season, what followed is the stuff of legends to this day.
Nadal went on to win 11 titles during the 2005 season, which included reigning supreme at Roland Garros in his debut. He cooled off considerably after his Paris triumph though, His chronic foot disease, Mueller-Weiss Syndrome, took him out of the 2006 Australian Open.
Not to be deterred, the Spanish bull pushed his physical limits to continue his winning ways and give then-World No. 1 Roger Federer plenty of competition. But while his foot was in good shape in his prime, he began overexerting his knees instead. The pain was so debilitating by 2009 that he had to miss Wimbledon due to knee tendinitis.
Nadal eventually came back for everything and more the following year, taking home three of the four Majors. The Spaniard's animalistic baseline playing style was affecting his body significantly at the turn of the 2010s. And while he was winning most of the time, things would go south soon.
Rafael Nadal has launched numerous comebacks after career-threatening injuries
Knee tendinitis reared its ugly head again as the then-11-time Grand Slam winner suffered a second-round upset loss to Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in 2012. The Spaniard subsequently spent around seven months on the sidelines, causing him to miss the US Open and the Australian Open next year.
Nadal, however, made another comeback for the ages in 2013, but he struggled to follow it up as a wide variety of injuries caught up to him by the time he reached his 30s. A back injury ruled him out of the US Open once again before a bout with appendicitis forced him to shut down his 2014 season.
The Spaniard was injury-free in 2015 as he tried to find his old rhythm. He was vying for big tournaments again by the time 2016 rolled up. The then-14-time Major winner was an overwhelming favorite at Roland Garros that year, but a left wrist injury marred his campaign as he was forced to withdraw ahead of his third-round match.
Nadal also didn't travel to the All England Club due to the above injury, leading fans to believe that the Spanish bull's prospects at the Majors were dead in the water. He proved them wrong in typical fashion though, picking up his first Major title in nearly three years at the 2017 French Open.
More importantly, Rafael Nadal learned to economize his tour schedule once he was in his 30s. The Spaniard played 13 back-to-back Grand Slam tournaments in 2017-20. The streak finally came to an abrupt end at the 2020 US Open as he missed the tournament due to concerns about traveling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Father time may have finally caught up with Rafael Nadal in the 2020s
The 2020s have marked a rather difficult time for Nadal physically. The Spanish bull's foot issue came back to haunt him towards the end of his 2021 French Open semifinal loss against Novak Djokovic. The chronic injury curtailed the rest of his season as he withdrew from Wimbledon and the US Open.
Nadal then launched what may be his last great comeback in 2022, overcoming his foot issues to win the Australian Open and Roland Garros. The Spaniard's luck, however, ran out on him in Wimbledon as he withdrew ahead of his semifinal match due to an abdominal injury.
Although the above injury was ultimately not that serious, the 22-time Major winner's body sounded the death knell again during the 2023 Australian Open. He picked up a hip injury during his second-round exit against unseeded Mackenzie McDonald and hasn't played a Major since then.
All-in-all, Rafael Nadal has missed 15 Grand Slam tournaments, which is 20% of his total career appearances. Considering how he has virtually won every one of three Majors he has entered (22/67), mulling over whether an injury-free Spaniard would've recorded a handful of more triumphs is a rather interesting mental exercise for fans.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
