Nadal Withdraws From Barcelona

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, with the 12-time champion explaining he is not yet ready to return to competitive action after suffering a leg injury at January’s Australian Open.

“Barcelona is a tournament that is special for me,” wrote Nadal, who suffered a grade 2 injury in the iliopsoas muscle of his left leg in Melbourne, in Spanish on social media. “I’m still not ready and I’m continuing my preparation process for the return to competition.”

Nadal holds a 66-4 record in Barcelona, where Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed at the clay-court ATP 500 event, which runs from 17-23 April.