Because of his protected position, Rafael Nadal will be able to play in the main draw of the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.
The 2023 Australian Open hurt Nadal’s hip, and he missed most of last season because of it. Even though he tried many times, his slow healing kept him from going back. Still, he came back for the 2024 season and played in the Brisbane International.
Nadal’s first match at the Brisbane International was a doubles match with Marc Lopez, who is also from Spain. The two teams lost the match, but Nadal played very well in his first-round doubles match against Dominic Thiem. From the first point to the last, the Spaniard was the better player and won 7–5, 6–1.
Read More: Rafael Nadal’s Ambition: Beyond Titles, Embracing the Joy of Play
In the second round, Nadal beat Jason Kubler 6-1, 6-2. While he did try to come back, Australian Jordan Thompson beat him in the third round. After winning the first set 7–5, Nadal started to get tired in the second set, which Thompson took advantage of.
In the second set, Thompson beat Nadal 7-6(6), and in the third set, Thompson beat Nadal 6-3 to make sure he was out. Nadal had to take a medical break because he hurt his leg during the match. Nadal pulled out of the 2024 Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, a week before the event because of the same problem.
The Qatar Open in Doha is where Nadal will play his next match, and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells is also on his list of events.
Read More: Novak Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam title, and Rafael Nadal talks about it.
Rafael Nadal has a long past at the Indian Wells Masters.
For Rafael Nadal, the Indian Wells Masters has been a good place to be in the past. In 2007, the Spaniard beat Novak Djokovic to win his first Indian Wells Masters title. The score was 6-2, 7-5.
Nadal beat Andy Murray 6-1, 6-2 in the final of the 2009 Indian Wells Masters to win the title. He then beat Juan Martin del Potro 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in 2013 to win his third title.
Nadal has come in second place twice. The first time was in 2011, when Novak Djokovic won 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reverse his loss in 2007. The second time was in 2022, when Taylor Fritz shocked everyone by winning the final 6-3, 7-6(5).
