Paribas Open: Rafael Nadal withdraws from Indian Wells; Sumit Nagal replaces him in main draw

Indian Wells: Three-time champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Paribas Open, saying he is not fully ready to compete at the highest level.

The former No. 1 has been on site in the California desert and trained Tuesday evening. But he will not take the court against former World No. 3 Milos Raonic and will be replaced by lucky loser Sumit Nagal of India, who succumbed to South Korea’s Seong-chan Hong in a hard-fought encounter during the final qualifying round.

“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament. Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells. 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, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t 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 said in a statement.

The 37-year-old, who has reached the final in 2022 during his last visit to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, would have been making just his second appearance of the year, following a quarter-final run to the ATP 250 in Brisbane in the first week of the season.

After an 11-month hiatus due to a hip flexor injury, the 37-year-old Spaniard made his comeback to the tour in early January, won two matches at Brisbane, then suffered a micro tear to a muscle near his left hip during a quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson in his last contested ATP match. IANS

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