Rafael Nadal has revealed that he has tested positive for Covid-19 upon returning to Spain from Abu Dhabi, where he was competing at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
Former world No 1 Nadal was in the capital for most of last week and played at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre on Friday and Saturday. Prior to competing at MWTC, the Spaniard was in Kuwait to attend an exhibition at the Rafael Nadal Academy.
"Hi all. I wanted to announce that on my return home after playing the Abu Dhabi tournament, I have tested positive for Covid in the PCR test that was performed on me when I arrived in Spain," the 20-time Grand Slam champion wrote on Twitter.
"Both in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi we passed controls every two days and all were negative, the last being on Friday and having the results on Saturday.
"I am having some unpleasant moments but I hope that I will improve little by little. I am now homebound and have reported the result to those who have been in contact with me."
Nadal, who had admitted in Abu Dhabi that he was not "100 per cent" sure if he would be ready to play at the Australian Open as he continues to recover from the long-term foot injury, said his Covid result has cast further uncertainty over the start of next season.
"As a consequence of the situation, I have to have total flexibility with my calendar and I will analyse my options depending on my evolution," Nadal wrote. "I will keep you informed of any decisions about my future tournaments. Thank you all in advance for your support and understanding."
