Nadal Cancels the Tournament in Rotterdam Due to A Back Injury

Tennis player Rafael Nadal has signed out for the ATP tournament in Rotterdam, which starts on Monday. The number 1 on the placement list has had to withdraw due to a back injury, which he suffered at the Australian Open.

The Spaniard lost last week in Melbourne in the quarter-finals to the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets.

Due to the absence of Nadal, the Russian Daniil Medvedev is the new list leader in Ahoy. The current number 3 in the world reached the final in Australia. He lost in three sets to Serbian Novak Djokovic on Sunday.

Tournament director Richard Krajicek reacted modestly to the cancellation of the number 2 in the world. “We were, of course, really looking forward to seeing Rafael Nadal in action, especially since it would be his first performance since 2009. We will miss him for the next week. Fortunately, we still have a great list left, with players like Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Andrej Roeblev. ”

According to Nadal, participating in Ahoy would not be a wise choice for him now. “It is a great disappointment that I have to withdraw to Rotterdam. As most fans know, I had back problems in Australia that started in Adelaide and continued through Melbourne.

We found a temporary solution that allowed me to play painlessly in the second week of the tournament. Once back in Spain, I visited my doctor, and together with my team, they advised me not to play in the coming week. ”

Nadal reached the final during his second and last participation in Ahoy in 2009. At the time, the twenty-time grand slam champion lost to the Scot Andy Murray. A year earlier, at his debut in Rotterdam, he lost in the second round.