The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles together with the Serbian Novak Djokovic, has eluded this Monday, shortly before participating in the awards ceremony of the Foundation that bears his name, confirming his participation in the ATP tournament Monte Carlo 1000. “I don’t know when I’ll play again, that’s the truth,” he said.

“I don’t know where that information comes from, but obviously, if it were true I would confirm it, but unfortunately I can’t,” Nadal told reporters. “I continue my course and I don’t know when I’ll play again, that’s the truth. I’m in a phase of increasing work. If I knew when I’m going to return, I would say so, but I don’t know,” he added.

“We have to go day by day and I will not anticipate something that I will not be able to fulfill later; I will say things when I really know them,” remarked the Spaniard, who assured that he is “in a phase of increasing work” to return to the slopes in the clay court season.

Nadal’s reappearance in Monaco was confirmed by David Massey, director of the Monegasque tournament, on March 17. Nadal has returned to training on the slopes of his academy in Manacor (Mallorca) after suffering an injury to his iliopsoas on January 18 in the match against American Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Melbourne tournament.

This Monday, at the “Es Baluard, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma”, the Balearic athlete, Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Deputy Director General for Social Sciences, and José María Álvarez-Pallete, President of Telefónica, presided over the awards ceremony for the Rafael Nadal Foundation. The act was also attended by Nadal’s parents and wife, Mery Perelló, director of the Foundation, along with other personalities.

The awards have recognized the best social projects and initiatives, framed in five categories: Development Cooperation: Kirira Foundation; Sport: Casal dels Infants; Education: El Arca Association; Social Innovation: Moms in Action and Health and Well-being: What Really Matters.