Rafael Nadal Will Play in Madrid Open After Recovering from Rib Injury

"I am very excited to play and to play in front of a home crowd, even with few chances [to win]," Rafael Nadal shared on social media

Rafael Nadal. Photo: Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty

Rafael Nadal is heading back to the court.

The tennis star will play in the Madrid Open next week after taking some time off to recover from a rib fracture.

Nadal, 35, announced his anticipated return on Twitter in a translated tweet, writing, "Despite having a short preparation and facing a difficult event, I can't wait to play at home, where we don't have many chances to do so."

"I will try to do the best I can. See you in Madrid," he continued.

Nadal announced in late March that he returned to Spain "to do the tests after the Indian Wells final." During his men's singles final round loss to Taylor Fritz at Indian Wells, Nadal complained of pain and breathing issues. He'd also received medical attention during his semifinal win over Carlos Alcaraz Garcia.

The athlete revealed in the March Twitter thread, "As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for four to six weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this. I'm devastated and sad because it comes after a great start to the season."

It's still been a banner year for Nadal, who — in January — won a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Nadal was on a 20-0 streak before his Indian Wells loss to Fritz. Since his injury, the tennis champion has sat out matches in Miami, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona.

Nadal's last win at Madrid was in 2017. He will attempt to win a 14th French Open title after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of last year's tournament later in May as well.