Rafael Nadal has made the tough decision to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open, as announced on social media Wednesday night. This news comes just a day before the 22-time Grand Slam champion was scheduled to play his first official match since January.
Nadal, aged 37, faced a significant setback last season due to a hip injury that required surgery. In his written statement, he expressed “great sadness” over missing the prestigious tournament at Indian Wells in Southern California:
“Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here,” the Spanish tennis legend said. “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.”
It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells.
Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here. That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready. pic.twitter.com/gmvs5kfGO2— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 7, 2024
Since the 2022 US Open, Nadal has only participated in 12 official matches. His last major outing was at the Australian Open, where he was defeated by Alex Zverev of Germany on Jan. 24.
Most recently, Nadal faced a loss to fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz during the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas. Despite his training in the California desert to prepare for Indian Wells, Nadal mentioned in his statement that he is not at the level required for such a significant event.
With three BNP Paribas Open championship titles under his belt, Nadal holds a remarkable 59-11 record at the hard-court tournament.
Tournament director Tommy Haas expressed disappointment over Nadal’s absence in a statement, confirming that Sumit Nagal of India will replace Nadal in the tournament.
“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,” Haas wrote. “He is one of the all-time fan favorites here, and we hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future.”
Sumit Nagal will face Milos Raonic of Canada on Thursday in place of Nadal. Refunds will be provided to fans due to Nadal’s withdrawal, as mentioned in the official release.