Nadal withdraws from Miami Open to prepare for clay season
What's the story
Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the impending ATP Miami Open in order to prepare for the European clay-court campaign. Nadal, who shares the all-time record of 20 men's Grand Slam singles titles with Roger Federer, informed about the development on Twitter. The 34-year-old is yet to play since losing to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas at last month's Australian Open quarter-finals. Here is more.
News
I won't be playing in Miami: Nadal
In his recent tweet, Nadal wrote, "Sad to announce that I won't be playing in Miami, a city that I love. I need to fully recover and get ready for the clay court season in Europe." "Special message to my fans in the US and in particular to the great Spanish speaking community FL who always give me a great support."
Nadal
Nadal also declined wildcard entry for Dubai event
Nadal follows the footsteps of Federer, who had also opted out of the Miami Open. Earlier, the former had also earlier declined a wildcard for the Dubai event. "I would like to thank the @DDFTennis for the wild card invitation sent to me. We seriously thought about coming to play, but I don't think I am ready to play yet," he tweeted.
Feat
Nadal had completed 800 consecutive weeks inside Top 10
Earlier this year, Nadal completed 800 consecutive weeks inside Top 10 of ATP Rankings. His incredible run has spanned for over 15 years. However, he was recently displaced at number two by Daniil Medvedev. The latter has become the first man other than 'Big 4'; Novak Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray to hold either of the top two spots in over 15 years.
What next?
Nadal seeks his 14th French Open title
Nadal owns a 40-12 record in Miami, where he has reached the final five times. He most-recently competed at the ATP Masters 1000 event in 2017 (lost to Federer in championship match). After his withdrawal this time, he will have plenty of time to prepare for French Open. Notably, the Spaniard is chasing a 14th career crown on the red clay of Roland Garros.