After the best start to a season of his career, winning the first 20 matches of 2022, Rafa Nadal was forced to the sidelines by a fractured rib. The Spanish legend, whose seemingly-boundless determination has carried him through plenty of setbacks in his career, is back at the Mutua Madrid Open this week and prepared to restart his season.

“I feel fine. In terms of preparation and tennis, it’s a different story”, admitted the Spaniard, all too aware of his situation. “Anyone who has broken a rib knows how limiting it is and the pain it produces. The first few weeks were particularly immobilising. After that I was able to do some gym work. It’s an injury that’s not significant, you know that it’s a certain [recovery] time and that really helps. But it was an injury that meant I could barely do any training”.

The Mallorcan picked up the fracture during the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open he played against his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz on 19 March, and necessary prudence has kept him away from competition since.