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Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the prestigious Indian Wells tournament on the eve of his first-round match, saying he is not "ready to play at the highest level".
The 37-year-old Spaniard, who has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season, returned to competition in Brisbane in January after almost a year sidelined with a hip flexor injury, but had to miss the Australian Open with another muscle tear.
He lost to defending Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz in an exhibition event in Las Vegas on Sunday but based on that performance he seemed ready to return to the California desert event he has won four times.
"It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament," the 22-time grand slam champion said in a statement.
"Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells.
"That's also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.
"I have been working hard ... and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don't find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event.
"It is not an easy decision, it's a tough one as a matter of fact but I can't 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."
Tournament director Tommy Haas said they were disappointed to lose Nadal, who was drawn in a high-calibre first round against 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic, with lucky loser Sumit Nagal stepping into Nadal's spot.
"He is one of the all-time fan favourites here, and we hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future," Haas said.
Nadal's representative Benito Perez-Barbadillo said there was no fresh injury and that the Miami Open, another hardcourt event that follows Indian Wells, was never on his schedule.
Nadal will now turn his attention to his favourite surface clay with an eye toward a record-extending 15th French Open title and a second Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games, where tennis will be contested at Roland Garros.
Australia's Alex de Minaur is aiming to become the first Australian to win Indian Wells since Lleyton Hewitt's second straight title in 2003, and comes in as the 10th seed, dropping one spot from ninth in the rankings despite defending his title in Acapulco on the weekend.
The in-form 25-year-old enjoyed a first-round bye afforded to all seeded players and faces Japan's Taro Daniel in the second round, while compatriot Jordan Thompson also dropped in the latest rankings from a career-high 32nd to 33rd, meaning he missed out on a bye by one spot and will play Chinese qualifier Juncheng Shang first up.
If he beats Shang and 20th seed Alexander Bublik, he could meet de Minaur in the third round.
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Chris O'Connell booked tough second-round clashes with Australian Open winner Jannik Sinner and sixth seed Alex Zverev respectively, while Aleksandar Vukic and Max Purcell round out the Australians on the men's side.
Daria Saville lost a three-hour-and-eight-minute slog to American Bernarda Para 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(7/5) in their first-round clash, leaving the women's singles draw devoid of an Australian presence.
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Reuters/ABC