MADRID — Rafael Nadal will play the Madrid Open after recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him for a month, he said Tuesday.
Nadal had been recovering from a stress fracture he sustained while playing at Indian Wells in March. His loss to American Taylor Fritz in the final of that tournament ended a run of 20 consecutive wins for Nadal, including a record 21st Grand Slam title when he won the Australian Open.
Nadal missed tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona because of the injury.
“Despite arriving with minimum preparation and [knowing] that it will be difficult, I am very excited to play and to play in front of a home crowd, even with few chances [to win],” Nadal wrote in Spanish on Twitter. “I will try to do it the best I can. See you in Madrid.”
Nadal, 35, has won five times in Madrid, but not since 2017.
The Madrid Open starts on Sunday.