Tennis star Rafael Nadal tests positive for COVID-19
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has tested positive for COVID-19. The 35-year-old informed about the development through a statement on Instagram. Nadal recently returned to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. He suffered two defeats to Andy Murray and Denis Shapovalov, respectively. It remains to be seen if Nadal competes at the 2022 Australian Open. Here are further details.
I am having some unpleasant moments: Nadal
"I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me," Nadal said in a statement, as reported by The Indian Express.
Here is the official statement
Nadal had ended his 2021 season
Nadal last played in Washington, suffering a defeat to Lloyd Harris. He had sustained a foot injury at the French Open. The Spaniard opted out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Games in order to rest following the clay-court season. He said he has taken the tough decision considering the "demanding clay-court season". Notably, Nadal was on the entry list of the 2022 Australian Open.
Will Nadal compete at Australian Open?
Recently, Nadal cast doubt over his participation in the Australian Open. As per a report in Reuters, Nadal said he can't guarantee whether he will play next year's first Grand Slam. "The idea is to go there and try my best there in Australia. Being 100% honest, I can't guarantee it," he said. Nadal last won a major title in 2020 (French Open).
Nadal lost to Murray and Shapovalov
Nadal played his first match since August at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. Former world number one, Andy Murray, defeated the Spaniard a 6-3, 7-5. Nadal then lost 7-6 (4), 3-6 (10-6) to Denis Shapovalov in the third-place play-off. The former is nowhere near his best. He has the joint-most Grand Slam titles (20) along with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
