Rafael Nadal tests positive for Covid-19 following Abu Dhabi comeback

By Aleks Klosok, CNN

Rafael Nadal has tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving back in Spain from Abu Dhabi, the 20-time grand slam champion said on Monday.

Nadal, who didn’t confirm the specific variant of Covid-19, had been making his comeback from injury in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last week.

It was Nadal’s first tournament appearance since the Citi Open in Washington in August.

In a Twitter thread, the 35-year-old said he had tested positive for the virus following a PCR test taken on arrival back in Spain.

Nadal added that he had tested negative at all times when he was in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi and had last tested negative on Friday.

“I am experiencing some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now confined at home and have informed those people who have been in contact with me of the result,” Nadal wrote.

“As a result of the situation I have to have complete flexibility with my calendar and will be analysing my options depending on my progress. I will keep you informed of any decision about my future tournaments,” Nadal added.

The first grand slam of the 2022 season is the Australian Open, which starts on January 17.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.