Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from next week’s Barcelona Open, saying he is still not ready to return to the men’s ATP tour.
The Barcelona Open, which Nadal has won 12 times, starts on Monday, and is one of the last big clay-court events before the French Open begins in Paris on 28 May.
The 36-year-old Spaniard, who has not played since a defeat to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in January, has been struggling with an ongoing hip injury that also kept him out of this week’s Monte Carlo Masters.