I won’t play more than what I believe works well for my body: Rafael Nadal on abdominal injury ahead of Cincinnati Open

22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal said that he is wary of putting a lot of pressure on his body. The 36-year-old said that he needed to take care of his abdomen after sustaining a small tear. After last playing at Wimbledon almost one and half months back, the veteran recently confirmed his participation in the upcoming edition of the Cincinnati Open.

During the tournament at SW19, Nadal had to pull out of his semi-final match against the eventual runner-up, Nick Kyrgios, because of his chronic foot injury. The Spaniard said that he couldn’t afford to aggravate his abdominal injury as it would impact his services to a large extent.

“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 was quoted as saying.

“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.

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.

— ENDS —