Rafael Nadal withdrew from Indian Wells on Wednesday on the eve of his first-round match, saying he is “not ready to play at the highest level”.
The Spaniard, 37, returned to competition in Brisbane in January after almost a year sidelined with a hip flexor injury, but had to miss the Australian Open with another muscle tear.
He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition event in Las Vegas on Sunday but looked poised to try to win a fourth title in the California desert before pulling out ahead of his match against Canadian Milos Raonic.
This content is provided by Twitter, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Twitter cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Twitter cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Twitter cookies for this session only.
Enable Cookies
Allow Cookies Once
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said in a statement.
“Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells.
“Thats 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 dont find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event.
“It is not an easy decision, its a tough one as a matter of fact but I cant 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.”
Nadal will be replaced by lucky loser Sumit Nagal, who will be the first Indian in the main draw of an ATP Masters 1000 event since Prajnesh Gunneswaran at Miami in 2019.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Carlos Alcaraz and RNadal took part in the inaugural Netflix Slam exhibition match in Las Vegas
How to watch play on Sky Sports Tennis
Image:
The stars of tennis will appear on the new Sky Sports Tennis channel every day
Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland, with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, making tennis content available all day, every day for fans.
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches with a NOW Sports Day and Month Membership, via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Arena, and Sky Sports Mix channels.
For further access, fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports app, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Find out all the ways to watch tennis on Sky Sports, including the US Open, ATP and WTA tours
Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!
You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!
Find out more here
Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – just £21 a month for 12 months. No contract, cancel anytime.