Published: 09:23, March 17, 2021 | Updated: 22:25, June 4, 2023
Recovering Nadal to skip Miami and focus on clay court swing
By Reuters

In this photo Spain's Rafael Nadal hits a return against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during their men's singles quarter-final match on day ten of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Feb 17, 2021. (PHOTO / AP)

Rafa Nadal will skip the Miami Open that begins later this month in a bid to recover from a back injury in time for the clay court swing, the Spaniard said on Tuesday.

Nadal had not played since his quarter-final exit at the Australian Open last month and also skipped the ATP 500 event in Dubai.

The 34-year-old has since dropped down one place in the rankings to third after Russian Daniil Medvedev leapfrogged him.

Nadal had not played since his quarter-final exit at the Australian Open last month and also skipped the ATP 500 event in Dubai

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"Sad to announce that I won't be playing in Miami, a city that I love. I need to fully recover and get ready for the clay court season in Europe," Nadal wrote on Twitter.

The Miami Open is a hard court tournament which Nadal has never won despite reaching the final five times between 2005 and 2017.

READ MORE: Nadal not ready to play yet due to back issue, skips Dubai event

The Spaniard could possibly be targeting the Monte Carlo Masters in April and the Madrid Open in May as he looks to get into top shape for the French Open where he has won a record 13 times.