Nadal to play in Madrid after covering from 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.