After training in Paris on Thursday and Friday, Rafael Nadal went home to Mallorca on Saturday. The 22-time Major winner was a groomsman at his best friend’s wedding (Bartolome Salva-Vidal, or simply Tomeu, as Rafa calls him).
Rafa enjoyed the ceremony with his friends, taking a little break from tennis before focusing on the next week’s Paris Masters. Nadal is ready to continue his season after staying away from the court for almost two months.
The Spaniard arrived in Paris on Wednesday and had three training sessions on Thursday and Friday with Quentin Halys, David Goffin and Sebastian Korda. Rafa has not played singles matches following the fourth-round US Open loss to Frances Tiafoe in four sets.
He has been dealing with an abdominal injury since Wimbledon, playing only five encounters after the All England Club and losing rhythm and form. Nadal gave his best at the US Open while chasing the season’s third Major crown, but it did not work for him.
Rafael Nadal attended a wedding of his good friend on Saturday.
He went home to Mallorca and welcomed his first child with his wife, Xisca. Rafa has been the second-best player in 2022 behind Carlos Alcaraz, winning two Major titles and returning into the top-2 at 36.
Nadal missed the second part of 2021 and bounced back at the start of this year. He went 20-0 at the beginning of the season before injuring his rib in Indian Wells. He lost the final to Taylor Fritz and skipped Monte Carlo and Barcelona, his favorite events.
The king of clay did not play well in Madrid and Rome after a long break, and the foot pain was bothering him again ahead of Roland Garros. Rafa needed injections ahead of every match and survived all the obstacles to secure his 22nd Major.
Rafa reached the Wimbledon semi-final but could not play against Nick Kyrgios. The Spaniard revealed a seven-millimeter tear in his abdomen and left the tournament following an epic quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz in five sets.
Nadal skipped the Canada Masters and suffered an early Cincinnati loss to Borna Coric, playing miles below his best and struggling to serve. Rafa could not play at his best in New York, still feeling the pain and making an early exit to Frances Tiafoe despite giving his best.
Nadal played alongside Roger Federer at the Laver Cup and went home the following day, eager to train and recover from an injury. The Spaniard used the previous weeks to work on his game and get into good shape ahead of Paris and Turin, never winning these tournaments and wishing to change that in the upcoming weeks.
Nadal is battling with Carlos Alcaraz for the year-end no. 1 honor, needing good results at both events if he wants to pass a teenager and finish at the top.
