Rafael Nadal Pulls out of Monte Carlos

Rafael Nadal announced on social media Thursday his withdrawal from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

“Hi all, these are very difficult moments for me, sporting wise,” Nadal wrote. “Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte-Carlo. My body simply won’t allow me. And even if I am working hard & making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can’t play today.

“You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events. The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better.”

Nadal returned to action at the beginning of the year in Brisbane, where he defeated Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler before losing in the quarter-finals to Jordan Thompson. The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings ramped up and was in California preparing to compete at Indian Wells, but withdrew before the tournament.

The lefty, an 11-time Monte-Carlo champion, ended his post with a message to his fans. He wrote: “Thanks again to all, as always, for all the support and best wishes!”