World number two Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Rotterdam Open due to a back injury, organisers of the ATP 500 event said on Thursday.
“It is with great sadness that I have to forfeit from Rotterdam,” Nadal said in a statement.
“As most of the fans know, I suffered some back problems in Australia that started in Adelaide and continued during Melbourne. We found a temporary solution that allowed me to play without pain in the second week of the tournament.
“Once I got back to Spain I visited my doctor and together with my team they’ve advised not to play this upcoming week.”
“Unfortunately, Rafael Nadal is forced to pull out of the 48th ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament,” the tournament organisers said in a statement.
“The back problems that started in Australia prevent him from playing next week.”
World number three Daniil Medvedev will replace Nadal as the top seed in the Rotterdam event, which will run from March 1-7.
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