Rafael Nadal‘s withdrawal on the eve of his first match at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells has been like a bolt from the blue for not just his fans, but also the tournament organizers. They will now have to arrange for a refund to all those fans who have purchased individual evening session tickets to Stadium 1 to witness the legend play on Thursday, March 7.

The 37-year-old Spaniard was out for almost a year due to a hip flexor injury and had also undergone surgeries last year. But he made a comeback this year in Brisbane International. However, this comeback journey was cut short, and had to withdraw his name from the 2024 AO and Qatar Open. But a couple of days back, fans were on cloud nine seeing Nadal step onto the court at the Netflix Slam. Unfortunately hopes shattered yet again.

“I can’t lie to myself” – Rafael Nadal’s recent withdrawal has evoked lots of questions along with a huge loss

Rafael Nadal took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce on Wednesday. He wrote, “It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells.” Nadal expressed his disappointment in missing out on one of his favorite tournaments. He loves to be here, “That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.“

Despite his hard work during the practice sessions to make his comeback, Nadal feels he isn’t “Ready to play at the highest level at such an important event.” He further went on to add, “I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans.” On hearing this announcement BNP Paribas Open Tournament Director, Tommy Haas said, “We are disappointed that Rafa is unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open, but we wish him continued healing and hope he can be back in action again soon.“

Haas added, “He is one of the all-time fan favorites here, and we hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future.” Although he has informed that fans may contact the box office directly regarding the refund. But missing out the chance of witnessing the legend of the game live in action, is surely gonna hurt thousands of his fans.

Will Rafael Nadal play a tournament on the American soil before his retirement? Can he recover before the Miami Open? Well, these are the questions running through the minds of his American fans. No matter where he plays next, the French fans still have a higher chance of witnessing the majesty for one last time.

“My priority goal..” – Nadal had already made it clear a few months ago

During an interview, the 14-time French Open winner said, “My priority goal, which is what I said from the beginning, is to get to the clay season as healthy as possible. I want to try to give myself the option to enjoy the clay season.” With Roland Garros and the Paris Olympics happening in the same venue in the same year, he’ll surely love to make his presence felt in Paris later this year.

What are the experts saying about this announcement? The American former tennis player Lindsay Davenport spoke to Tennis Channel, she said, “I don’t know if he’ll be back.”

Jim Courier stated, “We’ll blink and we’ll be in Paris. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing Rafa there in the flesh, and not just that beautiful statue of him there.” Will the fans get the chance to witness Rafael Nadal live in a competitive match on American soil? What are your thoughts?

READ MORE: Indian Wells 2024: Rafael Nadal Pulls Out After Wild Injury Rumour Claims by David Ferrer