Rafael Nadal postpone his return to the tennis tour as a result of he isn’t but wholesome sufficient to play, asserting on Wednesday that he’ll sit out subsequent week’s Qatar Open.
“I might have liked to play in Doha, the place the match workforce, in addition to the superb Qatar followers have all the time supported me significantly. Sadly I’m not able to compete and I gained’t be capable to come to Doha the place I actually wished to be and play once more after that unforgettable win in 2014,” Nadal wrote on social media. “I’ll deal with preserve working to be prepared for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the superb Indian Wells match.”
The 37-year-old 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 harm his hip flexor in the course of the Australian Open in 2023, and ultimately wanted surgical procedure, lacking the remainder of final season.
Nadal has indicated this 12 months is likely to be the final of his profession, and he’s pointed to the French Open — the place he gained 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles — as his focus.