Nadal undergoes hand surgery, jokingly says he will miss the 2026 Australian Open

On Friday local time, Nadal revealed on his personal social media that he recently underwent hand surgery. The former tennis great joked about missing next month’s Australian Open. "It seems I won’t be competing in the 2026 Australian Open," Nadal stated, "because of persistent hand problems, I needed surgery and am aiming for a swift recovery."

Despite the surgery, Nadal is scheduled to return to Jeddah at the end of this month to attend the ATP Next Gen Finals held from December 17 to 21.

According to a statement from Nadal’s longtime spokesperson Benito, Nadal underwent surgery at the Teknon Medical Center in Barcelona due to severe osteoarthritis in the carpometacarpal joint of his right wrist. The operation was performed by Dr. Alex Lluch under the joint supervision of Nadal’s chief physician Ángel Ruiz Cotorro and Dr. Villaró, involving arthroplasty to relieve pain and restore joint mobility.

(Translation by Wang Fei, images from player’s social media)