The 22-time Grand Slam champion recently opened up on his abdominal injury ahead of the upcoming Cincinnati Open and said he is aware of putting too much pressure on his body. Nadal said he doesn’t want to play more than what is good for his body.
“The main thing is to stay healthy and play the events that I want to play. I will not play more than what I believe works well for my body. I am happy to be back in Cincinnati after a couple of years without the chance of being able to be here. I had a small tear in the abdomen, so it is dangerous,” Nadal told reporters ahead of the start of the Cincinnati Open.
“The abdominal is a place that is dangerous because on every serve you put a lot of effort there. I am trying to do things properly, trying to be a bit more conservative. I hope I can be ready for the action here. I want to play tennis again on the Tour. I am having a good season and I am enjoying it. I want to enjoy this week in Cincinnati,” he added.
Rafeal had a brilliant start to the year as he went on to win the Australian Open title to clinch his 21st Grand Slam crown and move past his arch-rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the list of male players with most Grand Slams. He extended his lead further after his dominant victory at the French Open 2022.
Nadal, who is currently ranked No.3 in the world, also has the chance to surpass World No.1, Daniil Medvedev. It also remains to be seen if Nadal can take part in the upcoming edition of the US Open. For the time being, he will be looking to win his second title at Cincinnati.