Rafael Nadal surprised fans with a straightforward update this week, announcing that he recently underwent hand surgery. Alongside a photo showing his arm in a sling and his hand heavily bandaged, he wrote: “Looks like I won’t be able to play the @AustralianOpen 2026. I had to undergo hand surgery because of an issue I’d been dealing with for a long time, but I hope to be fine soon.”
The tone was classic Nadal with a bit of humor to soften the blow. Still, the message signals a real interruption to his plans for the upcoming season.
A long-term issue was finally addressed
While Nadal didn’t share specific medical details, he made it clear this wasn’t a sudden injury. The problem had been bothering him for quite some time, and the decision to operate suggests it reached a point where rest and rehab weren’t enough.
For a tennis player, hand injuries are especially disruptive. Grip strength, control, topspin, stability — everything depends on the hand. Fixing the issue now likely gives him the best chance at long-term comfort and performance, even if it means missing a major tournament.
The photo shows where things standIn the photo, Nadal looks relaxed but understandably tired, sitting with his arm supported in a sling. Fans are used to seeing Nadal taped up at various stages of his career, but seeing his hand immobilized sends a clear message that this rehab period won’t be quick.
What this means for the 2026 Australian Open
Nadal joked that he won’t be ready for Melbourne, and realistically, he’s probably right. Recovering from hand surgery takes time, usually involving rest, progressive rehab, and a cautious return to hitting balls.
© Getty ImagesSkipping the Australian Open is disappointing, but it also shows he’s prioritizing proper healing over rushing back into competition. That approach has extended his career more than once.
A five-month break
In 2023, Rafael Nadal stayed out of the court for five months after successfully undergoing arthroscopic surgery. The procedure was to check his left psoas muscle. “Hello, everyone. As you know, last night I had surgery. Everything went well, and the arthroscopy was on the left psoas tendon that has kept me out of competition since January,” Nadal wrote in Spanish on social media.
“An old injury to the labrum of my left hip was also [fixed], which will surely help the better evolution of the tendon. I want to thank doctors Marc Philippon, Jaume Vilaro, and Angel Ruiz-Cotorro for their work,” he added. ”I will start progressive functional rehabilitation immediately, and the normal recovery process they tell me is 5 months if all goes well.”
© @rafaelnadalAt the time, Ángel Ruiz Cotorro, one of his three doctors, gave more details about Nadal’s procedure. “We reached this situation for various reasons,” explained the doctor. “We had a core issue — injuring a muscle is not the same as a tendon. When we put it under large loads, the tendon was not responding because it was not strong enough.”
“The decision to operate was made recently,” admitted Cotorro. “We tried all the conservative options, which is how these injuries are normally treated. But when the situation doesn’t work, you must make decisions.”
© NurPhoto via Getty Images“I’m happy because we’ve done what we wanted to… We’re very satisfied, and if we respect the recovery times, I think he will be able to recover. Rushing is never a good idea. It’s five months, but we’re not pushing for a particular date,” Cotorro said.
The doctor also said Nadal had begun his rehabilitation. “It’s an operation that allows you to do some things but not others. He will be in limited rehabilitation for ten days; then he will start to work in the pool and on the bike,” he revealed. “Exercise that affects the tendon must be eliminated. From there, there is a healing period, which is always determined by biology. The first six weeks will be the most important. From there, we’ll do tests and see how to continue with the recovery.”
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