The Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal has revealed this Monday that he has tested positive for coronavirus after the PCR to which he has undergone on his return to Spain after participating last week in the Mubadala Tennis World Championship, an exhibition tournament held in Abu Dhabi.
Nadal himself has published this message on social networks to break the news:
“Hello everyone. I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain. Both in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi we passed controls every two days and all were negative, the last being on Friday and having the results on Saturday. I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me. As a consequence of the situation, I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyze my options depending on my evolution. I will keep you informed of any decisions about my future tournaments. Thank you all in advance for your support and understanding.”
Hi all. I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for COVID in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) December 20, 2021
Last week Nadal made a tour of the Persian Gulf countries before playing in Abu Dhabi on a trip in which he was accompanied by his coach Carlos Moyá, his friend Marc López, who has joined his staff, and also his wife , Meri, plus Nadal’s father.
At the beginning of the week he was training and participating in various events at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait. In the United Arab Emirates, Nadal was also with King Emeritus Juan Carlos I, who went to see his matches at the Mubadalada World Tennis Championship and with whom he took some photos during a meal.
The Australian Open, in danger
The announcement of the positive in coronavirus of Rafa Nadal may have consequences for the Balearic tennis player facing his calendar for the 2022 season.
Nadal had planned to compete from January 3 to 9 at the ATP 250 in Melbourne as a test prior to the Australian Open, first Grand Slam to be played from January 17 to 30, and which requires tennis players to have the complete vaccination schedule in order to participate in the tournament.
The tournament has not yet ruled on the positive of Nadal, so the presence of the Balearic in the Grand Slam will depend on his evolution and the next tests he undergoes and give negative to see if he arrives in time to compete .