The five-time finalist of the Miami Open, Rafael Nadal, will no longer aim for the first title in Florida from March 24th and will withdraw from the first Masters 1000 tournament of the season. Nadal has suffered a back injury since he was quarantined in Adelaide in January.
That year he played only five games at the Australian Open, skipping Rotterdam, Dubai and Acapulco. Rafa was unable to recover in time for Miami, despite having been training hard lately and taking more time on the practice field before the Sand Tour where he plans to play his best tennis.
Despite previous struggles, Rafa reached the Australian Open quarter-finals without losing a set, taking a two-set lead over Stefanos Tsitsipas before falling in five sets and suffering one of the worst losses of his career.
Miami is one of the most significant titles that Nadal has not won. Between 2005 and 2017 he lost five finals. He made his Florida debut in 2004 at the age of 17, defeating world number 1 Roger Federer in straight sets and battling the same rival in the title fight a year later.
Rafa had everything in his hands before Roger made an incredible turn to celebrate in five sentences and leave the boy empty-handed. Nadal was in another final three years later, fell to Nikolay Davydenko and waited a few more years for other chances.
They came in 2011 and 2014 when Novak Djokovic proved too strong for the Spaniard, who made his last appearance in Miami in 2017.
Rafael Nadal won’t compete in Miami this year
He reached the fifth final with Roger Federer as a rival and scored a 6-3, 6-4 triumph in an hour and 35 minutes.
It was the Swiss’s third Miami crown and the first since 2006 that reduced his deficit in head-to-head games against Rafa to 23-14 and beat the Spaniard four times in a row for the first time! Roger had a clear advantage after winning the first set and gained momentum before set number two, where he made the difference with a break of 4: 4.
“I am sad to announce that I am not going to play in Miami, a city I love. I need to relax completely and prepare for the clay court season in Europe. Special message for my fans in the US and especially the great Spanish speakers Community in Florida that is always very supportive!
“Rafael Nadal said.
Sad to announce that I won’t be playing in Miami, a city that I love. I need to fully recover and get ready for the clay court season in Europe. Special message to my fans in the US and in particular to the great Spanish speaking community FL who always give me a great support!???????? — Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) March 16, 2021
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