Tennis news: Fears over Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz as injured duo to miss Monte Carlo | Tennis | Sport

Injury fears have grown over both Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz after the duo confirmed that they would not participate in next week’s Monte Carlo Masters. Nadal especially has done little to allay worries that physically he is struggling to keep up with the demands of tennis at the age of 36.

Nadal has not taken to the court professionally since retiring in the second round of the Australian Open, as he was told that he faced six-to-eight weeks out with a strained hip flexor. The Spaniard has hoped to make a comeback on clay but confirmed there were still worries that he could suffer re-injury if he was to compete in Monaco.

“Unfortunately I am still not ready to compete and will miss one of those special tournaments I always love to play,” Nadal said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Monte Carlo is and has been a key event in my career, but unfortunately I will have to miss it again since I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured. I will continue the process of getting ready to come back.”

Monte Carlo has been Nadal’s most successful ATP Tour event and he would ideally have played if possible, raising further concern over his mounting injury list from the past few years. He required a nerve ablation procedure last year to dull the chronic pain in his left foot, having also torn a stomach muscle at Wimbledon that ended the second half of his season.

While Alcaraz joined Nadal in withdrawing from the event – under doctor’s orders – owing to soreness in his hand and spine. Nadal’s supposed successor took to Twitter to announce his absence from the tournament: “After two months of competing, I’m happy to be back home but sad that I finished my semi-final match in Miami with soreness.