Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Miami Open. Nadal wants to give some more time to his lower back injury to recover and prepare for the Clay court season in Europe. World No. 3 couldn’t represent Spain in the ATP Cup 2021 due to his back issues.

However, Nadal was able to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open 2021 but couldn’t go past Stefanos Tsitsipas in the thrilling five-set contest. Nadal then decided to pull out of Rotterdam, Qatar, and Dubai Open.

The Spanish player has an impressive 40-12 record at the Miami Open. Nadal has reached the final of the event on five occasions and had last made it to the final of the tourney back in 2017 where he lost to arch-rival Roger Federer.

Nadal took to his Twitter account to share the news. The lefty post read as, “Sad to announce that I won’t be playing in Miami, a city that I love. I need to fully recover and get ready for the clay-court season in Europe. Special message to my fans in the US and in particular to the great Spanish speaking community FL who always give me great support!”. 

The tournament handler also replied to Nadal and sent him best wishes for a speedy recovery.

“Miami loves you back! Best of luck in your recovery – hope to see you back on the court soon!” 

Nadal will aim to make a roaring comeback in the clay-court season in Europe, which is his forte. Meanwhile, the Miami Open will begin on 31st March.

On the other hand, Dominic Thiem has also decided to pull out of the Miami Masters as he is not in good form. Thiem was knocked out of Dubai Open as he lost to Lloyd Harris by 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 32.