Rafael Nadal has put a lid on the rumors that he will be showing his presence at the Monte Carlo Masters, the maiden clay Masters 1000 event on the tour. Although the management at the Monte Carlo has confirmed the inclusion of Spaniard but he seems reluctant about the odds of his participation at a tournament he has won record 12 times.
On the injury sidelines since his R2 defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at this year AO, following a grade two tear to his iliopsoas muscle, Nadal was seen practicing on clay in his academy back home in Mallorca. It was expected of him to return to the game after 6-8 to weeks, however the things didn’t go as they were supposed to and now it is almost 10 weeks of him not competing.
Kicking off on April 9, Nadal is present on the entry list of the Monte Carlo Masters with the tournament’s social media handles seemingly announcing the return of the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
However, the legendary clay courter himself doesn’t seem too optimistic about him landing in the Monte Carlo.
“I don’t know who gets this information. Obviously, if it were true, I would confirm it, but unfortunately, I can’t. I’m following my course and I don’t know when I’ll play again, that’s the truth.”
He continued, “I’m in a phase of increasing work. If I knew when I was going to return, I would say so, but I don’t know. I can’t confirm that I will play in Monte Carlo, things are seen day by day. I prefer to say things when I really know them.”
While there are no clear signals of him returning at the tournament while he is also downplaying his participation, Nadal is the most successful player at the event with 11 titles to his name. His last triumph came against Japanese Kei Nishikori in the 2018 final.
In the light of his not very encouraging recent comments about his return, it would be important to note when the undisputed king of clay will be returning to his favorite turf as he bids for a 15th Roland Garros.