Rafael Nadal has delayed his return to competitive tennis after announcing he has pulled out of the Qatar Open.
The 37-year-old missed almost the entirety of last season with a hip injury, making his comeback after 11 months out at the Brisbane Open in January, at the start of what he has suggested will be his final year on tour.
However, after winning two matches in Brisbane, Nadal lost in the quarter-finals and suffered a micro tear on a muscle, a hip injury not related to the previous issue.
That ruled the Spaniard out of the Australian Open and he will not return to the court next week in Doha, after revealing he is “not ready to compete”.
Nadal posted on social media: “I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans have always supported me greatly.
“Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win in 2014.
“I will focus on keep working to be ready for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the amazing Indian Wells tournament.”
Nadal is scheduled to face off against fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition in Vegas on March 3, with that evidently still his intention. Should Nadal’s fitness not be an issue, he will then compete at Indian Wells, a tournament he has won three times.
