It’s time for another major tennis tournament, but Rafael Nadal won’t be competing.
A day before he was supposed to play Milos Raonic at Indian Wells, on Wednesday night, the 37-year-old revealed on social media that he was withdrawing from the BNP Paribas Open.
Sumit Nagal, the unfortunate loser, will take Nadal’s position in the draw.
Nadal posted on Instagram, saying, “I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament with great sadness.” “Everyone is aware of my passion for Indian Wells and how much I like playing here. That is also one of the reasons I arrived in the desert well in advance to practice and try to prepare.
“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.”
I can’t lie to thousands of followers and to myself—it’s not a simple decision—in fact, it’s a difficult one.Rafael Nadal
Despite having only participated in three tour-level matches this year, Rafael Nadal has stated that 2024 will be his final season on the road. Due to persistent hip issues, he withdrew from the Australian Open after making it to the quarterfinals in Brisbane. Although he was listed as an entrant for the hard-court tournament in Doha in mid-February, he withdrew.
He was supposed to play Raonic in Thursday night’s main event after competing in an exhibition match against fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz immediately before the BNP Paribas Open. It will have to wait until his next tour.
In an announcement, the tournament said that spectators who bought tickets for the session on Thursday night “may contact the box office regarding a refund.”
BNP Paribas Open Tournament Director Tommy Haas stated, “We are disappointed that Rafa is unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open, but we wish him continued healing and hope he can be back in action again soon.” “We hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future. He is one of the all-time fan favorites here.”
“I will miss you all,” said Nadal, “and I am sure the tournament will be a great success.”
It’s important to wonder if Nadal will ever compete in a US tournament again. It wouldn’t be shocking at all if the Spaniard withdrew from the Miami Masters, since his main priorities would undoubtedly be the clay-court season and Roland Garros—the site of the Summer Olympics.
In the fourth round of the 2022 US Open, Nadal was defeated by Frances Tiafoe, marking his final competition on American soil. He has won three titles at Indian Wells but has never taken home the title in Miami.
In response to the query on the Tennis Channel, Lindsay Davenport stated, “I don’t know if he’ll be back.”
Although Nadal’s future itinerary is unknown, he will be cordially invited to participate in any clay-court tournament preceding Roland Garros. He is without a doubt the best player on the slowest surface in the game and a 14-time champion of the French Open.
Jim Courier remarked, “We’ll blink and we’ll be in Paris,” following the news. “Hopefully we’ll be seeing Rafa there in the flesh, and not just that beautiful statue of him there.”
