April 04, (THEWILL) – Spanish tennis players, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have both withdrawn from the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters, citing injuries.
Nadal, who has not played since the Australian Open due to a muscular injury in his left leg, had hoped to make his return at the opening clay-court Masters tournament on April 10. However, the 36-year-old has announced that he is not yet ready to compete. “Monte Carlo is and has been a key event in my career, but unfortunately, I will have to miss it again since I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured,” Nadal said in a statement.
Moments later, Alcaraz, who recently competed in the ‘sunshine swing’ of Indian Wells and the Miami Open, also announced his withdrawal from the tournament due to soreness. “After two months of competing, I’m happy to be back home but sad that I finished my semi-final match in Miami with soreness,” he confirmed on social media. “After visiting my doctor in Murcia today and being evaluated, I will not be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the tour on the ground.”
Nadal had previously withdrawn from Indian Wells and the Miami Open to focus on returning to full fitness. The Monte Carlo Masters marks the start of the clay-court season during which Nadal has enjoyed tremendous success in his career.
He will now aim to be ready for the next Grand Slam event of the year, Roland-Garros, at the end of May, where he has won a record 14 titles. Before that, there are also ATP Masters 1000 clay-court events on the calendar in Madrid and Rome.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
