Rafael Nadal will not compete in the ATP 500 event in Dubai next week as he has not fully recovered from a previous edition suffered before the Australian Open, the world number 2 announced on Thursday.
Struggling with the problem ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year, Nadal skipped Spain’s ATP Cup games but still managed to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park without dropping a set before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 34-year-old 20-time Grand Slam champion has not played since this defeat and received a wild card for the tournament from March 14th to 20th in Dubai.
“I want to thank @DDFTennis for sending me a wildcard invitation,” said Nadal on Twitter.
“We really thought about coming to play but I don’t think I’m ready to play anymore.”
I want to thank @DDFTennis for sending me a wildcard invitation. We have seriously thought about coming to … https://t.co/QArcOK53IR
– Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) 1615447051000
Nadal is still enrolled in the Miami Open, an ATP 1000 event that runs from March 24th to April 4th.
