Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Masters series tournament, which will be held in Rome (Italy) from May 10 to 21. This means that the 14-time Roland-Garros champion will have to defend his title in France for the first time in his career, having not played a single tournament before this season on clay.
Earlier it was reported that Nadal had to make the decision to participate in the Italian Masters based on the results of medical tests.
Recall that the 22-time Grand Slam champion was injured during a match with American tennis player Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open. An MRI of the tennis player showed a sprain in the iliopsoas muscle of the left leg. From that moment on, he did not go to the court, missing, among other things, all the clay Masters.