There can only be one claimant to the throne when discussing tennis ' king of clay, but injury almost prevented Rafael Nadal from taking part in his favourite season this year.
The 35-year-old suffered a rib injury in late March that sidelined him for six weeks, returning to play with a 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Miomir Kecmanovic at the Madrid Open on Wednesday. A tight turnaround left Nadal with little time to train ahead of his comeback, with the world No. 4 building towards the French Open, which gets underway on May 22.
It's not the first time the Mallorcan has been forced to contend with fitness issues in recent times, having also seen his 2021 campaign cut short in August due to a long-standing foot injury. But Nadal—who holds the men's singles record of 21 Grand Slam titles—is glad this latest "roller coaster" wasn't quite as tumultuous.
