Rafael Nadal undergoes surgery in bid to overcome troublesome hip injury

The 22-time grand slam champion was 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 a 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.

"Rafael Nadal has undergone minor arthroscopic surgery to review the left psoas lesion that has kept him out of competition," read a statement from Nadal's spokesperson Benito Perez-Barbadillo.

"This intervention has been carried out in Barcelona."

The results are expected to be announced on Saturday.