Paris — Rafael Nadal The 22-time Grand Slam champion’s participation in the French Open hangs in the balance after she turned down a wild-card offer for next week’s Challenger tournament in Bordeaux, the clay-court event director said on Sunday.
Nadal has been nursing a hip injury at the Australian Open in January, and fears he could miss the French Open after pulling out of this week’s Italian Open.
“I offered him [Nadal’s agent Carlos Costa] One of the wild cards,” Jean-Baptiste Perlant told French sports daily L’Equipe. “He told me very politely that Nadal was continuing his preparations at home in Mancour, that he was not ready and against time. Were in the running, ready for the French Open.”
Nadal skipped the Madrid Open last week and missed tournaments in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona.
The French Open, which Nadal has won a record 14 times including last year, starts on May 28.
Nadal, 36, has competed at Roland Garros every year since winning a men’s record 22 major titles in Paris in 2005.
Reuters contributed to this report.
