New Delhi, India

Former world number one Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the upcoming Monte Carlo Masters, commencing on April 7, citing that his body is not up to it at the moment. The ATP Masters 1000 event is the first one on clay this season, with the focus later firmly on the French Open 2024, i.e. the second Grand Slam event of the year. Nadal's participation at the Roland Garros is also under serious threat as the tournament is now less than two months away.

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In a post shared on Instagram, Nadal wrote, "These are very difficult moments for me, sporting-wise. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte Carlo. My body simply won't allow me. And even if I am working hard and making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can't play today. You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events."

The 37-year-old added, "The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better."

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Nadal has won the Monte Carlo competition as many as 11 times. A 14-time French Open champion, the Spaniard will be desperate to mark his comeback at the Roland Garros but his participation looks dicey.

It is to be noted that Nadal has not competed in an ATP Tour tournament since his comeback to the court in Brisbane in January. He returned earlier this year but his performances remained under par. Despite taking an 11-month sabbatical last year, Nadal's return has not gone as planned with him missing the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Qatar Open. Even in 2023, he bowed out of three of the four Grand Slam events.

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The 22-time Grand Slam winner will be hopeful of turning it around by regaining full fitness and competing hard at the Roland Garros in May. A good performance will boost his confidence and also help him compete at the Paris Olympics, later this year. 

The Spanish player has dropped to 649 in the current ATP rankings for missing a plethora of tournaments. Thus, Nadal's comeback remains keenly awaited by his ardent fans.