Injuries a tale of woe for Rafa at Grand Slams

The following is a list of major injuries Rafa Nadal has suffered during his 21-year career that have caused him to miss or withdraw from Grand Slams:

2003: ELBOW INJURY

Nadal injures his elbow in a fall while training and he is forced to postpone his French Open debut.

2004: STRESS FRACTURE IN ANKLE

Nadal's French Open debut is delayed yet again after a left ankle fracture forces him to skip most of the clay court swing as well as Wimbledon.

2006: FOOT INJURY

Nadal is forced to skip the Australian Open having not played since winning the Madrid Masters in October 2005. He returns to action in February.

2009: TENDINITIS IN THE KNEES

Nadal suffers his first loss at the French Open to eventual runner-up Robin Soderling and then reveals he was playing with knee pain for several months due to tendinitis in both knees, which also forces him to miss Wimbledon.

2012: TENDINITIS IN THE KNEE

After a second round loss at Wimbledon, Nadal opts not to defend his Olympic title in London due to tendinitis. He eventually sits out the rest of the season, missing the U.S. Open.

2013: STOMACH VIRUS

Nadal delays his comeback after skipping the Australian Open due to a stomach virus which he said did not let him practice in the buildup to the year's first Grand Slam.

2014: WRIST INJURY, APPENDIX SURGERY

Nadal is unable to defend his U.S. Open crown due to a wrist injury. He comes back in September but ends his season a month later to undergo surgery for his appendix.

2016: WRIST INJURY

Nadal withdraws midway through the French Open due to a wrist injury which also forces him to skip Wimbledon. He makes his return at the Rio Olympics where he wins a gold medal in the doubles.

2020: COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Nadal is unable to defend his U.S. Open crown for a second time in his career as he opts not to travel for the American swing due to the COVID -19 pandemic.

2021: FOOT INJURY

Nadal skips the Olympics and Wimbledon after consultations with his team in a bid to prolong his career, before ending his season 10 days before the U.S. Open begins due to a niggling left foot issue that had been troubling him for a year.

2022: ABDOMINAL TEAR

Nadal reaches the semifinals at Wimbledon but withdraws ahead of his highly-anticipated showdown with Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal strain.

2023: HIP INJURY

Nadal does not play a single match after his second-round Australian Open exit and misses the entire clay court swing due to a hip injury.

He is forced to miss the French Open which he has won a record 14 times in his career, including the 2022 title.