Nadal set to return to ATP Tour in Monte-Carlo

© AFP

Guillaume Nonque

le 13/03/2024 à 05h56

2 min to read

Indian Wells Monte-Carlo Nadal Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal is set to make his return to the ATP Tour on the clay courts of Monte Carlo next month (April 7-14), tournament organizers announced on Tuesday.

"You never know what he's going to do, but I saw him practicing with his coaches on a private court... and I felt like I was listening to a wild beast. He hits the ball like he's never hit it before," said tournament director David Massey at a press conference in Paris.

"He felt discomfort, he was scared and decided not to play at Indian Wells, but the tests he underwent revealed nothing," he added.

Nadal, who has 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, fell to 652nd in the ATP rankings this week. He will use a protected ranking of world No. 9 to enter the main draw at Monte Carlo, the first clay-court Masters 1000 of this 2024 season.

The 37-year-old Spaniard has won the tournament 11 times in his career, but since his last victory in 2018, he has lost in the semi-finals in 2019, in the quarters in 2021 and missed the 2020, 2022 and 2023 editions.

"We've sent him two boxes of balls to Majorca so he can train (with the balls that will be used at the tournament)," said Massey.

Nadal missed almost the entire 2023 season with a hip injury and only played the ATP 250 Brisbane this year, where he suffered a relapse in the same area as his previous hip injury.

He was due to make his return at the Indian Wells Masters, but withdrew just before the start of the hard-court tournament last week.

This unexpected decision came four days after his defeat in Las Vegas in an exhibition match against compatriot and world number two Carlos Alcaraz.

The Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 begins on April 7 and marks the start of the clay-court season, during which Nadal could well play in his very last French Open, a Grand Slam event he has won a record 14 times.