Rafael Nadal withdraws from 2024 Australian Open with muscle injury

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal confirmed on Sunday morning that he would miss the upcoming 2024 Australian Open with a minor muscle injury, Report informs, citing Eurosport.

Nadal had made his comeback from a hip injury earlier in the Australian calendar, playing competitive tennis for the first time in nearly a year, making a decent run at the Brisbane International before being knocked out in the quarter-finals by Jordan Thompson.

There were concerns at the end of that game that Nadal had suffered another injury, with the Spaniard in some discomfort.

Although he was optimistic, he has now confirmed that whilst the "micro tear" on his muscle was not in the same place as the hip injury, it did mean he could not play a five-set game, so he would withdraw from the Australian Open and return to Spain.