Rafael Nadal to reveal French Open plans Thursday; sidelined by hip injury since January

Rafael Nadal has not competed since January because of a hip injury. He is expected to announce Thursday whether that absence will include the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times. Nadal’s manager, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, said Wednesday that Nadal would speak to the media at his tennis academy in Manacor, Spain, about his participation in Roland Garros. Nadal has never missed the French Open since winning the title there when he made his debut in 2005. Several sports outlets based in Spain said Wednesday that Nadal would not be competing at the the clay-court Grand Slam tournament in Paris, where main-draw play begins May 28. None of the reports cited a specific source.