The drama never ends: Rafael Nadal has to postpone his comeback on the tennis tour – again. The Spaniard withdrew “sadly” from the Masters in Indian Wells. The evening before his planned first appearance at the prestigious tournament in California, the 37-year-old canceled his participation. Nadal said he was not yet ready for the stress.
“I am very sad that I cannot take part in this great tournament,” Nadal said in a statement: “I have worked hard but do not see myself able to play at the highest level in such an important event.”
It wasn’t an easy decision, Nadal explained: “But I can’t lie to myself and the thousands of fans,” he said: “Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love playing in Indian Wells. “
Tournament director Tommy Haas was disappointed by Nadal’s withdrawal. “We wish him a speedy recovery and hope that he can get back into action soon,” said the former world number two Haas: “He is one of the absolute fan favorites here and we hope to see him again in Indian Wells in the future. “
Nadal played an exhibition match in Las Vegas against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, which he narrowly lost. The Spaniard was out for almost all of 2023 due to a hip injury. After his comeback in January 2024, he had to miss the Australian Open due to a torn muscle fiber.
Nadal had repeatedly struggled with injuries in previous years. In total, the 22-time Grand Slam winner missed 16 major tournaments due to physical problems – he was unable to take part in the Olympic Games three times.