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Rafael Nadal will miss the Madrid Open next week because his recovery from a hip injury is going much slower than expected.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since January by a left hip flexor injury he picked up at the Australian Open. The issue has kept him from the Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid tournaments.
“[This injury] was supposed to keep me out six to eight weeks, but I have been out 14,” Nadal said in Spanish in a message on Instagram on Thursday. “We have followed all the medical advice, but my recovery has not gone as they said it would, and now we find ourselves in a difficult situation.”
The Madrid Open, which Nadal has won five times, starts Monday.
Nadal, 36, did not mention his prospects for the French Open, which starts May 28.
“The injury still hasn’t healed, and I can’t work out what I need to compete,” Nadal said. “I was training, but a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment and see if things improve to try to get to what comes next.
“I can’t give deadlines because if I knew I would tell you but I don’t know. This is how things are now.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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