Rafael Nadal, on Tuesday, 22 March, informed that he would be out of action for the next four to six weeks owing to a stress fracture in his rib.
The 35-year-old had complained of a chest issue last week during the semifinal of the Indian Wells Masters in California. Nadal went on to play in the final on Sunday but lost to American Taylor Fritz.
The winner of the 21 Grand Slam singles titles took to Twitter on Tuesday to say:
"I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain, and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort," he said.
"As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks. This is not good news, and I did not expect this," he added.
'Disappointed and Sad': Nadal
"I'm disappointed and sad because after a good start to the season, I was coming to a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results," he said.
"I have always had that spirit of fighting and... I will... work hard (for) my recovery."
His injury has effectively ruled him out of next month's Monte Carlo Masters. His participation in the ATP 1000 events in Madrid and Rome in May is also doubtful.
Meanwhile, the French Open, where Nadal has won a record 13 titles, will start from 22 May.
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