Rafael Nadal’s comeback to tennis will be delayed yet again, as the 37-year-old withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday evening.
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament,” Nadal posted on social media. “Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells. That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.
“I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don’t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event. It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion played an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz at the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas this past Sunday and split sets before losing 14-12 in a super-tiebreaker. Nadal looked healthy enough, but he pulled the plug on his plans to play an official tournament after practicing in Indian Wells on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are disappointed that Rafa is unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open, but we wish him continued healing and hope he can be back in action again soon,” tournament director Tommy Haas stated. “He is one of the all-time fan favorites here, and we hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future.”
That is unlikely, of course, since this is expected to be Nadal’s final season on tour. The Spaniard will now target a return on clay–specifically for Roland Garros and the Paris Olympics.
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