Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam winner, has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming Barcelona Open, citing a lack of preparation. The Spanish player has already missed several tournaments this year due to injury, including Indian Wells, the Miami Open and the Monte Carlo Masters. Nadal took to social media to explain that he is still in the process of returning to competitive tennis, with the French Open in his sights.
‘Barcelona is a special tournament for me because it’s my adopted club and because playing at home is always a unique feeling. I’m still not prepared and therefore I’m still in my preparation process for the return to competition,’ Nadal wrote on Instagram. He also wished former tennis star and Barcelona Open tournament director David Ferrer luck for the competition.
With the withdrawal from the Barcelona Open, Nadal only has four more clay court events left to play this season, including the Srpska Open and ATP Munich, ATP Madrid, ATP Rome, and ATP Geneva and ATP Lyon. These tournaments will lead up to the French Open, which begins on May 28th. Nadal is aiming for his 15th French Open crown, having already won the title a record 14 times.
Nadal has won two Australian Opens, two Wimbledon Opens, and four US Open titles in addition to his 14 Roland Garros titles. As the most successful men’s tennis player in the Open era, Nadal shares the record for the most Grand Slam titles with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who will also be competing in the upcoming French Open.
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