after he withdraws, heartbreakingly stating that he is “not ready to play.”
Before his first round at Indian Wells, Rafael Nadal withdrew, and fortunate loser Sumit Nagal took his place. Another setback to Rafael Nadal’s recovery came on Thursday as the Spaniard withdrew from his Indian Wells first round encounter. Declaring he isn’t “ready to play at the highest level,” the 37-year-old withdrew earlier from the Doha ATP 250 event in late February, though he did participate in the Netflix Slam exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz.
After missing the Australian Open due to injury, Rafael Nadal returned to action in Brisbane in January after missing nearly a year due to a hip flexor injury. Nadal posted on X, the platform that was formerly known as Twitter, saying, “I have to withdraw from this incredible tournament at Indian Wells with deep grief. Everyone is aware of my passion for this location and my enjoyment of playing here. That’s also one of the reasons I arrived in the desert early in order to prepare and practice.”
“Although I’ve been studying and working hard, and as you are all aware, I took an exam this past weekend, I don’t think I’m ready to play at my best at such a significant event. I can’t lie to thousands of followers and to myself—it’s not an easy decision—in fact, it’s a tough one. He continued, “I’m confident the event will be a huge success, and I will miss you all.
