Nadal withdraws from Barcelona Open

“Barcelona is a special tournament for me, because it is my adopted club and because playing at home is always a unique sensation. I am still not ready and, therefore, I continue my preparation process for the return to competition,” Nadal wrote on Instagram.

Nadal, nursing a left hip injury, has been out of action since the Australian Open in January. This has seen the 22-time Grand Slam Champion drop out of the ATP Top 10.

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Questions over the Mallorcan's fitness have raised concerns that he might not be fit to play the French Open, a title he’s lifted 14 times in his career.

An ATP 500 event, the Barcelona Open begins from April 18. Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz won the 2022 edition. Nadal has won the Barcelona Open a record 12 times, with his first title coming in 2005 and the last one in 2021.

He had originally targeted the start of the clay-court season for his return to competitive tennis with suggestions he would be back for the Monte Carlo Masters. That tournament came too soon for Nadal, but he's now ruled himself out of the Barcelona Open too.

With little over a month until the French Open gets under way, it remains unclear when Nadal will make his return. He hasn't played at the Barcelona Open since 2021, when he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.