Rafael Nadal withdrew from next week’s start of the ATP Miami Open on Tuesday, tweeting that he needs to skip the event to prepare for the upcoming European clay-court campaign.
The 34-year-old Spanish left-hander, who shares the all-time record of 20 men’s Grand Slam singles titles with Roger Federer, has not played since being ousted from last month’s Australian Open quarter-finals by Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
“Sad to announce that I won’t be playing in Miami, a city that I love,” Nadal tweeted. “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…