Nadal to play in upcoming Madrid Open after 1-month absence with rib injury

Rafael Nadal will play the Madrid Open after recovering from a rib injury that sidelined him for a month, the Spaniard said Tuesday.

Nadal had been recovering from a stress fracture he sustained while playing at Indian Wells in March. His loss to American Taylor Fritz in the final of that tournament ended a run of 20 consecutive wins for Nadal, including a record 21st Grand Slam title when he won the Australian Open.

Nadal missed tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona because of the injury.

"Despite arriving with minimum preparation and [knowing] that it will be difficult, I am very excited to play and to play in front of a home crowd, even with few chances [to win]," Nadal wrote in Spanish on Twitter. "I will try to do it the best I can. See you in Madrid."

The 35-year-old Nadal has won five times in Madrid, but not since 2017.

The Madrid Open starts on Sunday.

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