Tennis: “muscular” pain for Nadal, in “a very similar place” to his injury last year

The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who needed a small medical intervention during his quarter-final lost in Brisbane on Friday, described after the match a "muscular" pain, in "a very similar place" to his injury contracted a year earlier.

Nadal, 37, who made his big return to competition in Australia after almost a year off due to injury, had to go to the locker room during the match against Jordan Thompson - to treat himself, after feeling pain in his upper of the left thigh.

The Australian Thompson then won 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in 3h25.

If he had been able to play without pain during his first two rounds, Rafael Nadal - who underwent two hip surgeries last year - suffered more at the end of the match.

He mentions pain “in a very similar place” to his injury contracted during the Australian Open in 2023, which then took him away from the courts.

However, “I feel like it’s more muscular. Last year it was tendons. It’s not the same as last year because at that moment I immediately felt something radical,” he explained.

“Today I didn’t feel anything. The only problem is that the place is the same, so we're a little more scared than usual.

“Ideally”, the holder of 22 Grand Slam titles hopes that it is only a question of “over-exerted muscle after a few days of effort and a very difficult match”.

If he does not hope to win a trophy in the near future, Rafael Nadal “hopes to have the chance to (s)train next week and play in Melbourne”, while being “not 100% sure of anything For now".