Nadal to skip Miami Open and focus on clay court season

Rafael Nadal 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.

Rafael 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 season, the Spaniard said on Tuesday.

Nadal had not played since his quarterfinal 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.

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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.

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. Special message to my fans in the US and in particular to the great Spanish speaking community FL who always give me a great support!

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 16, 2021

 

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

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.