FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Rafael Nadal Press Conference - Rafa Nadal Academy, Mallorca, Spain - May 18, 2023 Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts during a press conference after announcing that he has withdrawn from the French open REUTERS/Miquel Borras
PARIS (Reuters) - Holder Rafa Nadal, who has missed the French Open this year due to injury, is undergoing surgery on his hip muscle, the Spaniard's representative said on Friday.
The 14-time winner in Paris, who has won a men's joint-record 22 majors, has been out of action since January after hurting his hip flexor in his second-round match at the Australian Open.
His representative Benito Perez-Barbadillo said the results of the surgery were expected on Saturday.
The 36-year-old Nadal has said 2024 is likely to be his last year as a professional player.
He was initially set to miss up to eight weeks but skipped claycourt tournaments in Madrid and Rome to build his fitness after being ruled out of events at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona earlier this season.
In March, Nadal fell out of the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time since 2005 and is currently 15th.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot, Writing by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris)
