The ATP 1000 Masters event's main draw started on Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The former No. 1 has been on site in the California desert and trained Tuesday evening. But he will not take the court against former World No. 3 Milos Raonic and will be replaced by lucky loser Sumit Nagal of India, who succumbed to South Korea's Seong-chan Hong in a hard-fought encounter during the final qualifying round.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament. Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells. That\u2019s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don\u2019t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event. It is not an easy decision, it\u2019s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can\u2019t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success,' Nadal said in a statement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 37-year-old, who has reached the final in 2022 during his last visit to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, would have been making just his second appearance of the year, following a quarter-final run to the ATP 250 in Brisbane in the first week of the season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After an 11-month hiatus due to a hip flexor injury, the 37-year-old Spaniard made his comeback to the tour in early January, won two matches at Brisbane, then suffered a micro tear to a muscle near his left hip during a quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson in his last contested ATP match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/03\/rafael-nadal-withdraws-from-indian-wells-sumit-nagal-replaces-him-in-main-draw.jpg", "alt_img": "Rafael Nadal withdraws from Indian Wells; Sumit Nagal replaces him in main draw", "alt_title": "Rafael Nadal withdraws from Indian Wells; Sumit Nagal replaces him in main draw", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Indian Wells; Sumit Nagal Replaces Him In Main Draw On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Indian Wells; Sumit Nagal Replaces Him In Main Draw, Indian Wells Tennis Garden: Three-time champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Paribas Open, saying he is not fully ready.", "seo_keywords": "Rafael Nadal, Indian Wells, Sumit Nagal, Paribas Open, The ATP, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, World No, Milos Raonic, South Korea, Jordan Thompson", "tag": "", "tagging": "Rafael Nadal, Indian Wells, Sumit Nagal, Paribas Open, The ATP, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, World No, Milos Raonic, South Korea, Jordan Thompson", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "rafael-nadal-withdraws-from-indian-wells-sumit-nagal-replaces-him-in-main-draw", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "928", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "0", "created": "2024-03-07 10:04:03", "updated": "2024-03-07 10:04:03", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Rafael Nadal, Indian Wells, Sumit Nagal, Paribas Open, The ATP, Indian Wells Tennis Garden, World No, Milos Raonic, South Korea, Jordan Thompson", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-03-07 10:04:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "0", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "sports_name": "tennis", "cnmid": "875683", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/sports-news\/rafael-nadal-withdraws-from-indian-wells-sumit-nagal-replaces-him-in-main-draw-13804" }