Rafael Nadal faces five months recovery after keyhole surgery on hip, penultimate season virtually over
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Rafael Nadal could in theory be back in time for the Davis Cup finals in November.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Madrid – Rafael Nadal’s keyhole surgery on his injured hip was “positive” but his season is probably over as he will require a five-month recovery period before playing again, his spokesman said.
The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Saturday, could in theory be back in time for the Davis Cup finals in November.
However, it is likely that he will sit out the rest of the season before resuming in 2024, which he has already said will be the last year of his career.
“The surgery was positive,” said his spokesman on Saturday of the procedure, which was carried out in Barcelona.
“The normal recovery process is estimated at five months.”
Nadal said in May that the hip injury had not healed as well as he had hoped, and therefore he was taking more time out of the sport.
The Spaniard missed the ongoing French Open, which he has won 14 times, for the first time since 2004.
He will also sit out Wimbledon, where he is a two-time champion, in July.
Rafael Nadal may be absent from the French Open but is present in spirit, as spectators wear shirts in support of the Spanish great.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Nadal had hoped the injury he suffered in a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald
While he recovers, old rival Novak Djokovic has the chance to break out of the tie for 22 Grand Slams by winning a third Roland Garros title.
On Friday, Djokovic reached the last 16 in Paris for the 14th successive year and will face Juan Pablo Virallas, the 94th-ranked Peruvian, on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals. AFP
