Nadal withdraws from Qatar Open

Former 2014 champion Rafael Nadal has confirmed his withdrawal from the ATP 250 event in Doha next week due to not being in the best physical condition.

Nadal said he was not ready to compete despite recovering from his injury. He said: "I love Doha very much because I always receive a lot of love there. But I cannot compete this year. I will continue to work towards the friendly match in Las Vegas and the tournament in Indian Wells."

Nadal has not played since playing three matches at the Brisbane International in January. Photo: ATP

According to Spanish media, the torn muscle injury Nadal suffered before the Australian Open has recovered. The 37-year-old tennis player has been training normally in recent weeks but has not felt really comfortable. According to the schedule, Nadal will play an exhibition match with Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas on March 3, then participate in the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells.

"Maybe I've been training a little too hard," Nadal said of his lack of fitness. "My goal from the start was to go into the clay season in the best possible condition. I'm doing everything I can to enjoy the clay season."

According to Tennis365, the match between Nadal and Alcaraz was broadcast live globally on Netflix, attracting a large audience. Tickets to watch the event live were sold for $3,000 for prime seats and were sold out. Meanwhile, tickets for the stands were also up to $500 and there were not many empty seats left.

Qatar Open organizers were disappointed with Nadal's absence, having previously displayed posters of him. Nadal has good relations with Middle Eastern countries, having recently accepted an ambassadorship in Saudi Arabia and running a tennis academy in Kuwait.

Despite the absence of former champion Nadal, the Qatar Open still has Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils and Andy Murray. Among them, Medvedev is the highest seed and the defending champion, while Murray was last year's runner-up.

World number one Novak Djokovic has won the title in Qatar twice but in recent years has often chosen to compete in the Dubai Championship. This ATP 500 tournament takes place a week after the Qatar Open and Nole has won here five times. Djokovic has just announced that he will not participate in the Dubai Championship this year to focus on the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells.

Vy Anh

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