Abu Dhabi: Rafael Nadal, who made his comeback at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi last week, has disclosed that he tested positive for Covid-19 upon his return to Spain.
The 20-time grand slam winner announced the news on Twitter, “Hola a todos. Quería anunciaros que en mi regreso a casa tras disputar el torneo de Abu Dhabi, he dado positivo por COVID en la prueba PCR que se me ha realizado al llegar a España,” Rafa wrote in Spanish which roughly translates to: Hi all. I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing in the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain.
Hola a todos. Quería anunciaros que en mi regreso a casa tras disputar el torneo de Abu Dhabi, he dado positivo por COVID en la prueba PCR que se me ha realizado al llegar a España.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) December 20, 2021
“I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me.
“As a consequence of the situation, I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyze my options depending on my evolution. I will keep you informed of any decisions about my future tournaments. Thank you all in advance for your support and understanding,” he said in a statement.
Nadal, who had not played in six months due to a foot ailment that kept him out of Wimbledon and the US Open, returned to action for the first time since August.
The Spaniard’s participation in the forthcoming Australian Open was already in doubt, and now the illness has placed even more doubt on his Melbourne trip.
After returning to action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi last week, Rafa acknowledged he couldn’t promise he’d make the journey to Melbourne for the season’s first Grand Slam.
In the Mubadala World Tennis Championship semi-final, Rafael Nadal faced Andy Murray, who triumphed 6-3, 7-5 in a duel between two former world number ones.
