Rafael Nadal takes French Open precaution by skipping Miami Open amid injury fears

Djokovic ‘cleared out of the way’ for Nadal says host

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Rafael Nadal has made the decision to withdraw from the Miami Open amid injury fears, with his eyes no doubt on the upcoming French Open in two months time.

Nadal kicked off 2022 emphatically, as he became the most successful man in Grand Slam history, after securing his 22nd flagship event victory at this year’s Australian Open.

His win in Melbourne was a remarkable one, considering his 2021 season was plagued with injury problems.

Despite the Grand Slam win though, it seems fitness is still weighing on the mind of the Spaniard after it was announced he had withdrawn from the upcoming event in Miami.

Nadal’s focus will of course be on the next Grand Slam in the ATP Tour calendar which comes in the form of the French Open in May.

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The Spaniard has no doubt confirmed himself as a tournament great on the Parisian clay, having won a remarkable 13 French Open titles at Roland Garros throughout his career.

Nadal followed up his triumph in Australia with another title at the Mexican Open one month later, after seeing off Englishman Cameron Norrie in straight sets in the final.

In spite of his withdrawal from Miami, the 21-time Grand Slam champion will take part in this week’s event at Indian Wells as he looks to continue his 100% start to 2022.

Despite this week’s entry, the Spaniard has confirmed he still has some injury fears, after opening up on the foot injury that kept him out of the second half of last campaign.

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He told L’Equipe: “I went through difficult times. People stop at the last six months since that’s the period during which I haven’t played, after Roland-Garros. 

“If you remember correctly, after the Australian Open, I didn’t have didn’t play until the clay season because I had my issues. 

Then, after Roland Garros, I could hardly walk for two weeks. I couldn’t go down the stairs normally.”

The Spaniard went on to confirm that his injured foot would ‘never’ be ‘100% restored’, and this could well have played a part in his decision to chalk Miami off his schedule.

“When will my foot be 100% restored? Never,” Nadal added.

“It is a wound that cannot be healed. It’s the truth. Some days it’s good, others not. You have to manage it as best you can and find a way to play as much as possible without limits. 

“The goal is to play without fear of placing your foot where it is needed to hit the ball well.”

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