Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the BNP Paribas Open on the eve of his first-round match at Indian Wells, saying in a social media post that he doesn’t find himself “ready to play at the highest level at such an important event.”
“Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here,” Nadal wrote on X on Wednesday night. “That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.”
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.
It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the… pic.twitter.com/JslDFANMW8— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 7, 2024
The 22-time Grand Slam winner, who has played just 12 official matches since the 2022 US Open, was coming off an exhibition loss to fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in The Netflix Slam on Sunday. He showed no apparent sign of any issues related to the tear in his surgically repaired hip that forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open and later skip a tournament in Doha, Qatar.
“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,” Nadal’s post continued. “It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success.”
Nadal was in California preparing for the hard-court event, his first competitive tennis since Melbourne, before traveling to Las Vegas to face Alcaraz before a sellout crowd of 9,489.
“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,” tournament director Tommy Haas said in a statement. “He is one of the all-time fan favorites here, and we hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future.”
Nadal was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Sumit Nagal, who will face Milos Raonic on Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.