Rafael Nadal will miss next week’s Madrid Open after a setback in his recovery from a hip injury sustained at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal skipped tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo as well as the current Barcelona Open after suffering the injury that effectively ended his Melbourne Park title defence.

Nadal injured his hip during his 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 loss to unseeded American Mackenzie McDonald in their second-round match on Rod Laver Arena.

The 22-time major singles champion, equal most in the men’s game with Novak Djokovic, had felt hip pain for “a couple of days”, before the injury flared up.

Despite receiving treatment, the 36-year-old was clearly in discomfort and his movement was restricted for the remainder of the match.

Nadal admitted he struggled to run for the ball or even hit a backhand, but as defending champion he refused to pull of the match.

That decision to play on may have come back to haunt him, as rehab from the injury is not going to plan for the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer.

“Initially it had to be a six to eight week recovery period and we are now on fourteen,” Nadal said in a video published on his social media accounts.

“The reality is that the situation is not what we would have expected.

“All medical indications have been followed, but somehow the evolution has not been what they initially told us and we find ourselves in a difficult situation.

Time frame of recovery unknown

While the Spaniard, a 14-times French Open champion who has dominated the claycourt season for nearly his entire career, still hopes to be fully fit for the grand slam starting in May, his statement is not optimistic.