Tennis world on edge as Rafael Nadal calls snap press conference ...

Rafael Nadal will hold a news conference at his tennis academy in Spain amid media reports that he is going to miss the French Open for the first time since he won the first of his record 14 titles there in his debut in 2005.

Nadal has been sidelined by an injured left hip flexor since January, when he lost in the second round of the Australian Open.

Several sports outlets based in Spain said on Wednesday that Nadal would not be competing at Roland Garros, the clay-court grand slam where main-draw play begins on May 28. None of the reports cited a specific source.

Watch the latest sport on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>

His manager Benito Perez-Barbadillo confirmed Nadal would speak to the media on Thursday “about his participation in Roland Garros”.

Perez-Barbadillo added that whether or not the 22-time slam champion will enter the French Open “and the reasons either way, will be only be communicated” then.

“Hold your breath everyone,” grand slam doubles champion Pat McEnroe said.

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .

To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.

If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .

To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.

Nadal has a career record of 112-3 across 18 appearances at the French Open, a level of dominance unmatched by any man or woman at any grand slam in the long annals of a sport that dates to the 1800s.

When Nadal won the trophy in Paris last year at the age of 36 while dealing with chronic foot pain, he became the oldest men’s champion in tournament history.

The Spaniard hasn’t played anywhere since he lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of his Australian Open title defence on January 18, his movement clearly restricted by a bothersome left hip flexor.

That was Nadal’s earliest grand slam exit since 2016.

An MRI exam the next day revealed the extent of the injury, and Perez-Barbadillo said at the time that Nadal was expected to need up to two months to fully recover.

He initially aimed to return at the Monte Carlo Masters in March on his beloved red clay, but he wasn’t able to play there, then subsequently sat out tournament after tournament, decreasing the likelihood that he would be fully fit in time for the French Open.

Nadal is just 1-3 this season. He has dropped seven of his past nine matches overall, dating to a fourth-round loss to Frances Tiafoe in the US Open fourth round last September.

If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .

To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.