By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 28, 2023
Rafael Nadal will miss this year’s BNP Paribas Open and Miami Open as he continues to rehab from the grade 2 hip flexor injury that he suffered at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard took to social media after the announcement to give an update.
"It’s been a while since I don’t communicate with you," he wrote. "Took my time off, started rehab, gym and physiotherapy as instructed by the doctors. Getting ready to come back the in the best conditions.
"I am sad that I won’t be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami. Very sad not to be there. I’ll miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing."
After completing tests in January, Nadal gave a 6-8 week timeline for recovery, which immediately made Indian Wells a longshot.
Nadal recently took to training on clay at his academy, which is a sign that hard court tennis is not in the cards this spring and also an indication that he is feeling better and determined to make his return on the clay.
The 36-year-old has struggled with injuries for the last 52 weeks, suffering injuries to his rib, his abdominal and his hip. He is 1-3 on the season, and fell to American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open while struggling to move due to the aforementioned hip flexor injury.
Since his round of 16 encounter with Frances Tiafoe at the US Open, Nadal has lost 7 of 9 matches. His record run of 910 consecutive weeks inside the Top 10 will be in jeopardy as his points from reaching the Indian Wells final come off on March 20.