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Grigor Dimitrov is feeling for Rafael Nadal as the Bulgarian acknowledged the Spaniard injuring himself in his first tournament back and missing the Australian Open is "the worst thing" that could happen. After starting his post-surgery comeback in impressive style with two straight-set wins, Nadal battled a left leg injury during a surprise Brisbane International quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson.
Following his Brisbane exit, Nadal flew to Melbourne, where he met with the doctors and did some scanning. Unfortunately, the scan results weren't the best for Nadal, who was diagnosed with "a micro tear" on a muscle.
On Sunday, Nadal took to social media to announce his scan results and confirm he would not be able to compete at the Australian Open.
“What can I say? This is the worst thing that can happen. I don't know. I hope it's not too bad, for sure... I mean, for sure that's disappointing. Much more to him than anybody else," Dimitrov said of Nadal's injury in Brisbane.
Dimitrov: I hope Nadal gets fit for the clay season
In his announcement from Sunday, Nadal revealed he was flying back home to Spain for treatment and rest. In his message, Nadal didn't clarify how long it would take him to recover.
Even before Nadal's comeback started, the general expectation was that the 37-year-old's focus would be on being fully ready and prepared by the start of the clay season.
"I really hope to see him back at least for the clay. This is something I think I can never get bored of watching," Dimitrov said.
For Nadal, his Brisbane return had positive but also negative moments. While beating Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler was certainly a very encouraging thing, sustaining an injury in his third match back and then being forced to miss the Australian Open certainly wasn't the best thing to happen.