Rafael Nadal withdraws from Rotterdam, continues recovery from back injury

The World No. 2 Rafael Nadal couldn’t participate in the ATP Cup which was played just before the Australian Open due to his lower back injury. However, with the help of medications and temporary solutions, Nadal made himself available for the all-important Australian Open.

Nadal was able to qualify for the quarter-finals but his journey was ended by Greek player Stefanos Tsitsipas. In fact, Nadal was up by two sets but lost the last three sets to bow out of the competition. The Spaniard was not fully-fit in the Australian Open but didn’t make any excuses after his quarter-final exit.

Meanwhile, Nadal has now decided to withdraw from the ATP event at Rotterdam. Earlier Nadal had confirmed his availability for the event after a long gap of 12 years as he last participated back in 2009. However, now Nadal won’t be available for the event after his team and doctors monitored his lower back injury.

“It is with great sadness that I have to forfeit from Rotterdam. 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,” Nadal said.

Nadal added that he was looking forward to participating in the event but he will now look to take part later.

“I was really looking forward to coming back to Rotterdam and The Netherlands since it’s been a while I played there, and this was the perfect year for my calendar. I hope to come back and play there soon.”

Nadal has always been a champion and he will look to bounce back in style after recuperating from his injury. The Spaniard will want to take proper rest and recover fully for other upcoming events of 2021.