Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Indian Wells less than 24 hours before his scheduled first-round match. The 37-year-old continued his recovery from injury at the ‘Netflix Slam’ against Carlos Alcaraz but pulled out of the United States tournament because he is not “ready to play at the highest level”.
He lost to Alcaraz in an exhibition event in Las Vegas on Sunday as Nadal geared up to make his comeback from a muscle tear. But before attempting to win his fourth title in California, Nadal pulled out just before taking on Canadian Milos Raonic.
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells,” Nadal wrote on social media. “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.
“I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend 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. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success.”
Nadal is set to be replaced by lucky loser Sumit Nagal, as the world No. 101 will become the first Indian in the main draw of an ATP Masters 1000 event since Prajnesh Gunneswaran at Miami in 2019.
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