Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the upcoming ATP Miami Open to prepare himself for the European clay courts.
Nadal, who shared the record of winning 20 Grand Slams jointly with Roger Federer, has given this information on Twitter. Nadal has not been seen since his loss in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last month.
Nadal gave information on Twitter
Nadal wrote on Twitter, 'Sad to announce that I will not be playing the Miami Open even though I love this city so much. I have to make a full recovery for the clay-court season in Europe. He has given a special message to all his fans present in America and has also thanked them for supporting them on every occasion.
Nadal turned down wild card entry for the Dubai event
Nadal has decided to follow in Federer's footsteps as Federer has also decided not to play in the Miami Open. Earlier, Nadal had also turned down an offer for a wild card entry at the Dubai Open. He had tweeted, 'I would like to thank Dubai Tennis for offering me a wild card entry. We seriously thought of playing there, but I don't think I am ready to play.
Nadal completes 800 consecutive weeks in top-10
Earlier this year, Nadal completed 800 consecutive weeks in the top-10. This wonderful journey of his has been going on for almost 15 years. However, recently Daniil Medvedev has removed him from number two. The 25-year-old Medvedev is the first player apart from Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray to reach the top-2 position in the last 15 years.
Nadal would like to win 14th French Open title
Nadal has a 40-12 record in Miami and has reached the final five times. He participated in the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2017 and lost the championship match against Federer. This time he will have more time to prepare for the French Open as he misses the event. Nadal will chase his 14th title on Roland Gross' red clay.
Nadal Provides Update
Nadal said ahead of his Indian Wells debut that the injury to his leg on crutches six months ago was a matter of concern.
"The leg is not going to heal 100 per cent, never," he said. "Pain, I have a lot of pain in my leg."
This is the main reason why he is reluctant to make long term plans.
"At the moment I can be happy about things. But at some point I need to do a little more treatment, maybe stop for a while," he said.
“I have to find the right balance between doing things to compete and finding moments to stop and try to play for as long as possible. If I'm able to plan my calendar right and follow my calendar, I really can't ask for anything more.
"That's my goal. I am here, I'm so happy to be in Indian Wells now, and then I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm enjoying every single day here, and that's it."