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The sore lower back that visibly hampered Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open still isn’t right.
And so the world No. 2 has pulled out of a planned participation in the ATP 500 in Rotterdam next week.
Nadal had skipped the ATP Cup, held the week before the Australian Open, because of the back.
It is with great sadness that I have to forfeit from Rotterdam. As most of the fans know, I suffered some back problems in Australia that started in Adelaide and continued during Melbourne. We found a temporary solution that allowed me to play without pain in the second week 👇🏻— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 25, 2021
Nadal got through his earlier-round matches.
But when he went up two sets to none against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, and the Greek star brought it to a fifth set, it was pretty clear that Nadal had reached the end of the road.
Here’s what he looked like midway through the Australian Open, at a practice session.
Nadal’s withdrawal virtually guarantees that Daniil Medvedev, who is just 115 points behind him in the rankings, will take over the No. 2 spot.
Medvedev becomes the top seed in Rotterdam.
Meanwhile, Nadal also announced he won’t be playing Acapulco, either.
See details in the post below.
Is it correct that Daniil will have to win his semi to rise to #2? That would seem quite doable for him.
Don’t think Rafa cares much about his ranking per se right now other than if he drops to #3 would then be in Djoker’s half of draws.
Thnx. for these new photos. Having seen him in person there do you feel it was mostly the back that wore him down or is his age catching up to him? Bit of both maybe?
He wouldn’t necessarily be in Djokovic’s half.
They flip the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds at random, to face No. 1 and No.2. So 50% chance.
I think any of us who have ever had any back issues can attest to how debilitating it can be just to go about your daily business – never mind play Grand Slam-level tennis.