Nadal withdraws from Miami Masters 1000

Rafael Nadal will not play the Miami Masters 1000 (March 24-April 4) because he is not yet physically ready.

"I'm sad to announce that I won't be playing in Miami," the Spaniard wrote on Twitter.

Roger Federer, winner of the last edition of the Florida tournament in 2019, had already announced that he was giving up in order to perfect his return to competition.

"I need to recover fully and be ready for the clay court season in Europe," added Nadal, the world No.3, who has been suffering from back pain since arriving in Australia in January, just weeks before the Open.

Because of the pain, he had not played a single competitive match before the start of the first major of the year. Despite the pain, which faded as the tournament progressed, he was beaten in the quarters in Melbourne by Stefanos Tsitsipas after leading two sets to none.

Nadal has since withdrawn from Rotterdam and Acapulco, and has also declined an invitation to Dubai this week.

The European clay court season begins on April 5 with the ATP 250 tournaments in Marbella (Spain) and Cagliari (Italy), before the first major event on the surface, the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 (April 11-18).