The 22-time Grand Slam champion was set to participate in the tournament that kicks off later this month. 

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal has announced that he will not be participating in next week’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open, admitting on Wednesday that he is “not ready to compete.”

According to a statement released by QatarTennis, the 37-year-old Spanish player said that his return to the court will be delayed.

“I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans, have always supported me greatly. Unfortunately, I am yet not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win in 2014,” Nadal said. 

Karim Alami, the Tournament Director of the Qatar Open, responded to Nadal’s withdrawal news, stating, “We are very disappointed to hear this news, and we were looking forward to seeing Rafael Nadal back in Doha.”

“However, we have a very strong field this year with Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov, Murray ,Monfils and Gasquet and I can promise the fans a very exiting week of tennis,” he added. 

The tournament will be hosted at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex, the home of tennis in the Gulf States. Nadal was expected to return to the court after missing the last 12 months of tennis due to a hip injury during his second-round loss at last year’s Australian Open.

This wouldn’t have been his first time at the Qatar tournament, as he won in 2014, defeating France’s Gael Monfils to lift his maiden title at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

The upcoming tournament will feature a total prize of $1,395,875 and will include 28 players in the singles event, while 16 pairs will participate in the doubles event.

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open, one of two ATP Tour events held in the Middle East, has been selected by players as the ATP 250 Tournament of the Year on five occasions in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021-2022