Rafael Nadal undergoes surgery in bid to overcome troublesome hip injury

The 22-time grand slam champion has been sidelined since January because of the injury.

Rafael Nadal announcing his French Open withdrawal last month (Francisco Ubilla/AP) (AP)

Rafael Nadal underwent surgery on Friday evening in a bid to discover the extent of his hip problem.

The 22-time grand slam champion only expected to be out for six to eight weeks with the injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January but nearly five months on he has not recovered.

Nadal was forced to miss the French Open for the first time in nearly two decades having admitted his team had not been able to find a solution to the issue.

The Spaniard, who turns 37 on Saturday, announced last month that he would be taking a break, potentially for the rest of the season, before what he expects to be farewell tour next year.

Nadal’s representatives revealed the surgical intervention on Friday, with the 14-time French Open champion undergoing an arthroscopic investigation on his left psoas muscle in Barcelona.

The results are expected to be announced on Saturday morning.