Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the French Open with a left wrist injury. The Spaniard called an unscheduled press conference and appeared at his press conference with a wrist guard. The Spaniard said that he entered the tournament with very little pain but played his last match with an injection. He won the match in straight sets but said that last night he had more pain. He announced in his press conference that he could not move his wrist much this morning.
Marcel Granollers has now advanced to the fourth round of the French Open via walkover. The draw has now opened up for the two youngsters who were on a crash course to meet Nadal in the fourth round as Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem meet for a spot in the fourth round. The draw now significantly opens up for top-seeded Novak Djokovic now, knowing he does not have to meet the man who has denied him from the Coupe de Mousquetaires three different times.
The injury appears to be inflammation in the tendon sheath of his left wrist. No surgery is planned the Spaniard said, but said that it remained a possibility if he continued to play.
Nadal at the Press Conference
It was a shock press conference announced by Nadal, coming in just five minutes after Andy Murray had finished his press conference following his straight sets win over Ivo Karlovic. The Spaniard said that he had an MRI in the morning, but the results were not positive. He followed that up by saying that it was not broken, but that if he kept playing, that it would be broken in the next couple of days.
He said in his presser, "We tried our best. We took risks.” The nine-time champion says that he comes to Roland Garros, his favorite tournament, trying to win, but he knew that he could not make it to the end. He first felt the wrist injury in Madrid against Joao Sousa, and that he had therapy before his semifinal match against Murray. He followed with that he was trying to recover as quickly as possible.
The Spaniard hopes to recover in time for Wimbledon and said that this was the "toughest press conference of his career" because he tried so hard to "recover his level" and he was there. Nadal hopes to come back to Roland Garros with the right energy and motivation for the next couple of years.
This is only the third time in his career that Nadal has conceded via walkover with the 2004 Estoril quarterfinal and the 2012 Miami semifinal as the first two occasions.
Nadal had no indication of having any wrist problems so far in the tournament, defeating Sam Groth 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 followed by a 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 win over Facundo Bagnis.