Tennis fans hoping to see Rafael Nadal back in action sooner rather than later were left gutted on Thursday when the Spanish champion announced he will not be taking part in next week’s ATP 500 event in Dubai.
The 20-time grand slam winner has been struggling with a back injury since before the Australian Open and said he still hasn’t fully recovered.
The World No.2 skipped Spain’s ATP Cup ties in the lead-up to the year’s first grand slam, but still managed to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
He did so without dropping a set before eventually losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a titanic five-set battle.
The 34-year-old hasn’t played since that defeat and was awarded a wildcard to compete at the March 14-20 tournament in Dubai.
However he announced on Thursday that he will not be able to accept it.
“I would like to thank the @DDFTennis for the wild card invitation sent to me,” Nadal said on Twitter.
