DOHA, Qatar — Rafael Nadal postpone his return to the tennis tour as a result of he is not but wholesome sufficient to play, saying Wednesday that he’ll sit out subsequent week’s Qatar Open.
“I’d have cherished to play in Doha, the place the match staff, in addition to the superb Qatar followers have at all times supported me drastically. Sadly I’m not able to compete and I will not be capable of come to Doha the place I actually needed to be and play once more after that unforgettable win in 2014,” Nadal wrote on social media. “I’ll concentrate on maintain working to be prepared for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the superb Indian Wells match.”
Nadal, 37, Spaniard is scheduled to take part in an exhibition match with Carlos Alcaraz on March 3, then head to Indian Wells, California, for the hard-court match there subsequent month.
Nadal performed in three matches on the Brisbane Worldwide in early January — his first aggressive motion in practically a full 12 months — however then pulled out of the Australian Open and hasn’t been again since.
He damage his hip flexor through the Australian Open in 2023 and ultimately wanted surgical procedure, lacking the remainder of final season.
Nadal has indicated this 12 months could be the final of his profession, and he is pointed to the French Open — the place he gained 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles — as his focus.