The last thing tennis fans wanted to see when they woke up this morning was Rafael Nadal announcing his withdrawal from Indian Wells due to injury.
The Spaniard tennis legend took to X – formerly known as Twitter – at 2am UK time on Thursday to confirm he was not fit for the prestigious event in California.
It was a hammer blow for the sport. Nadal is supposed to be in his final season before retirement so his adoring fanbase can give him the send-off he deserves.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion – one of the biggest and best tennis stars of all time – sat out almost the entire 2023 campaign due to injury and subsequent surgery but picked up a fresh hip problem in just his third match in 12 months.
That came in Brisbane two months ago, which forced Nadal to pull out of the first major tournament of the year at the Australian Open. He plotted a return for the Qatar Open in February but once again withdrew due to injury.
Nadal then targeted Indian Wells – seen by many as the unofficial fifth Grand Slam – but he’s pulled out less than 24 hours before his first-round match against Milos Raonic, leaving many fearing that the 37-year-old is coming to the end.
Nadal’s omission from Indian Wells was particularly surprising after he showed no issue with his hip in a recent Las Vegas exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz.
‘It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells,’ Nadal posted on X.
‘Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here. 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, its a tough one as a matter of fact but I cant 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 has spoken openly about calling time on his career on a few occasions as he looks to set to join fellow great Roger Federer in hanging up his racket.
Speaking after he pulled out of last year’s French Open – where Nadal has lifted a record 14 men’s singles titles and has earned the title of ‘the King of Clay’ – he said: ‘2024 is probably going to be my last year on the professional Tour.
‘My motivation is to try and enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important to me. 2024 might be my last year but after that nobody knows what might happen. I’ll try to do my best to compete at the highest level and do everything in my power so that I can try and win tournaments.
‘I want to be thankful for all the good things that have happened to me. I can’t keep demanding more and more from my body because there will be a time when my body says ‘That’s enough’… It will be a hard process [to return] and will require a lot of effort.’
‘There are many chances that it will be my last year without any doubt,’ Nadal said. ‘There are chances that it may only be half a year, there are possibilities that it may be a full year, there are possibilities that we may not be able to reach all that.’
John McEnroe believes Nadal may decide to retire in the coming months if he is not fit for his beloved tournament – Roland-Garros – which begins in late May.
Nadal has famously dominated on the red dirt and the clay-court season gets underway in Monte-Carlo in just over a month.
‘I think Rafa was hoping, ‘Hopefully I’ll be ready for the French, see if my body holds up there’ – if it doesn’t, I think you’ll see him not play anymore,’ McEnroe said.
‘We’re all obviously hopeful he can because Rafa has been amazing for the game. We’d like to see him as long as we can.’
He will be desperate to play the French Open and Wimbledon at least one last time – and Alcaraz is also hoping to partner Nadal at the Olympics this summer – but there are certainly question marks over how much more his body can take.
