Three months ago, it would have been impossible to imagine that Nadal would play a full clay-court season as well as Wimbledon.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion has won 18 consecutive matches and will face Nick Kyrgios in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
He has a long-term foot problem.
He only played one event in the second half of last year because of the injury.
After his fourth-round win over Reilly Opelka, Nadal said in an interview that he loved playing here. My foot is holding up, but sometimes it is not.
It is difficult to hide, but it is nothing new. Some days are better, some days are worse, but if I had signed a paper three months ago, it would have been worse.
Nadal is skipping the Miami Masters so he can take a break from the court and be ready for the clay-court season.
The first three tournaments of the year were won by Nadal. Only Novak Djokovic had made a better start to the season.
It is impossible to imagine the beginning of the season three months ago. Sometimes things happen that are difficult to explain, and this beginning of the season for me is one of those, said Nadal, who also had Covid just before Christmas.
The Spaniard is hoping to play in all of his usual clay-court events in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before heading to Wimbledon for the first time since 2019.
Tennis is not about how many events you play, but how many matches you play.
I go week by week. My goal is to play every single event, but I am open to make decisions like I did with Miami. It isn't in my plans. My calendar is going to be the same on clay.
I didn't play Wimbledon last year because I couldn't walk during those weeks. It was difficult for me to move around the boat with my foot for two weeks. I want to play Wimbledon if I am in a normal shape.
The first of the men's quarter-finals in Indian Wells on Thursday will feature a match between Nadal and Nick Kyrgios.
There have been a few flash points in their relationship since they played each other in the fourth round of Wimbledon.
Three years ago, Nadal said that the Australian lacked respect for the crowd, his rival and himself after he lost to him in a tempestuous match.
When he loses, Nadal is his "super salty" and "polar opposite", according to the man.
I always had zero against Nick, Nadal said.
I just think that sometimes he did things that were not right. We have a good relationship.
I don't look at him like an enemy or a bad guy. Sometimes things happen on court, but I forget about them.
I don't like problems at all. I try to stay well with most of the people I know.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
