Federer Messages Nadal To Offer Support

Roger Federer admitted that he sent a text message to Rafael Nadal on Tuesday night following the Spanish superstar’s quarter-final exit to Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.

World No. 1 Nadal retired due to a right leg injury at 0-2 in the fifth set and later said he would undergo an MRI scan in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Federer, speaking after his 7-6(1), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tomas Berdych for a place in the semi-finals on Wednesday night, told Jim Courier in an on-court interview, “I wrote to Rafa late last night before I went to bed. It was the last thing I did, to make sure he was okay. It was not nice to see a rival and friend go out.

“We wish him well. It’s hard to watch someone go out in five sets and not be able to finish. I think Marin deserves an amazing amount of credit because he hung around and fought really, really hard. It was a massive win for him.”

Read Reaction: Nadal – “An Opportunity Missed”

Nadal issued a statement on Wednesday allaying any long-term injury fears.

“After the painful withdrawal last night at the Australian Open, today I had an MRI here in Melbourne,” Nadal posted on social media. “The results say that I suffer from a Grade 1 injury to the [sic] Psoas Iliac on my right leg.

“As bad as it is to have to retire from the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament, the injury is not so serious. In the next few days I will be in sports rest and perform anti-inflammatory physiotherapy.

“The doctors tell me that in two weeks I will be able to get back on court, progressively resuming my workouts. The normal recovery time is around three weeks so in principle that does not change anything in my calendar and I will play in Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami.”

Nadal is expected to return to the ATP World Tour on 26 February for the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC, where he picked up the 2005 and 2013 trophies.