Rafael Nadal Decides To Withdraw From Qatar Open 2024

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal (Instagram/@rafaelnadal).

JAKARTA The Spanish tennis player, Rafael Nadal, has decided to withdraw from the Qatar Open 2024 tournament which will take place next week.

The decision to resign was conveyed by Nadal through social media X (Twitter). He said he was not ready to compete.

"I'd love to play on Doha. Unfortunately, I'm not ready to compete yet," said Nadal's statement on social media quoted by BBC Sport.

The 37-year-old athlete previously appeared at Brisbane International 2024 earlier this year after nearly a year of having to pull out of competitive competitions due to hip injury problems.

Unfortunately, the tennis player's comeback did not turn sweet, making him have to miss the Grand Slam tournament at the start of the season, the Australian Open 2024, in Melbourne.

The owner of 22 Grand Slam titles said that he would focus on recovering so he could appear in the Indian Wells tournament which will take place from 6-17 March 2024.

"I will focus on continuing to work to be ready for exhibitions in Las Vegas and the amazing Indian Wells tournament," Nadal said.

Nadal is scheduled to face compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition match in Las Vegas on March 3, 2024 before making a comeback at Indian Wells a few days later.

Earlier, in May 2023 after being forced to miss Roland Garros for the first time in 19 years, Nadal said that 2024 might be the last year of his career.