Rafael Nadal has succumbed to the back injury that hampered him at the Australian Open, withdrawing from next week’s ATP event in Rotterdam.
Nadal announced on Thursday that he had pulled out of the Rotterdam Open due to the back injury.
The 20-time grand slam champ has been struggling with the issue for some time.
He was also been forced to skip Spain’s ATP Cup ties in Melbourne earlier this month.
“It is with great sadness that I have to forfeit from Rotterdam,” Nadal said in a statement on Thursday.
“As most of the fans know, I suffered some back problems in Australia that started in Adelaide and continued during Melbourne.
“We found a temporary solution that allowed me to play without pain in the second week of the tournament.
“Once I got back to Spain I visited my doctor and together with my team they’ve advised not to play this upcoming week.
“I was really looking forward to coming back to Rotterdam and The Netherlands since it’s been a while (since) I played there.”
Fans were left gutted by the news, wishing Nadal a speedy recovery on social media.
