Rafael Nadal withdrew from both Indian Wells and the Miami Open on Tuesday, meaning he will miss two of the biggest United States tournaments of the tennis season.
Nadal hasn’t played since January’s Australian Open when he lost in the second round. He suffered a hip flexor injury and was originally set to miss six to eight weeks.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion shared a message about his health with his fans after his withdrawal announcement on Tuesday.
“It’s been a while since I don’t communicate with you,” Nadal said on Twitter. “Took my time off, started rehab, gym and physiotherapy as instructed by the doctors. Getting ready to come back the in the best conditions. I am sad that I won’t be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami. Very sad not to be there. I’ll miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing.”
Although the Spaniard didn’t express when he expects to be back on the court, he was seen practicing on clay courts on Monday. It’s possible Nadal could make his return just in time for clay season, which is historically his best playing surface.
At the French Open, Nadal will be competing for a chance to break the men’s singles Grand Slam titles record again as Novak Djokovic just tied his record at 22 at the Australian Open. Djokovic has already noted how he wants to face Nadal in the French Open final for a historic showdown.
Since he isn’t competing in the next two U.S. tournaments, it’s likely Nadal will drop out of the top 10 of the world rankings for the first time in 18 years. Right now, he’s ranked No. 8 in the world.
