Disastrous new for players and Australian Open tournament organisers alike is the news that Rafa Nadal has returned a positive test result. The result could very well throw his participation into the first Grand Slam of 2022 further into doubt.
Nadal revealed the news on social media on Monday. According to the star, he had returned a positive PCR test upon his return from playing in Abu Dhabi. He said while he had tested negative in both Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, the test performed back home in Spain had been in the affirmative for illness.
Now back home, Nadal said he was isolating and informing all those with whom he had had contact during his trip. He said given the circumstances, he will first have to analyse the way forward based on his recovery before making a final decision regarding Australia.
Nadal has been away from the game for quite some time. His trip to Abu Dhabi came after several months away from the court due to a foot injury suffered during his French Open semi-finals loss to Novak Djokovic. As a result, he withdrew from both Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympic Games.
While most players due to compete in January’s Australian Open will be heading out directly after Christmas in lieu of the start of the new season, Nadal admitted to the fact that he could not yet guarantee his appearance in Melbourne.
It furthermore remains to be seen what sort of impact the currently soaring cases will have on the competition.
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