Veteran Rafael Nadal has decided to delay his much-awaited return to the upcoming Clay Court season. Nadal has withdrawn from the forthcoming Monte Carlos Masters as he is yet to fully recover from the hip injury which he suffered in the second round of the Australian Open.

The Spaniard missed all the tournaments after the Happy Slam and thus dropped out of the top 10 ATP Pepperstone Rankings for the first time in 18 years. He is currently in 14th position in the latest rankings.

“Hello everyone, I am still not prepared to compete at the highest level so I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, I am not yet able to play with maximum guarantees and I continue my process of recovery and preparation, hoping to return to competition soon,” Nadal said in a statement on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Nadal recently returned to training at his own academy in Mallorca and he will be looking to hit the ground running once he returns to the court in his favorite clay court competitions. In fact, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has won Monte Carlo Masters on 11 occasions, the most by any player.

On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz has also decided to opt-out of the forthcoming Monte Carlo. The young Spaniard suffered an injury during his semifinal clash against Jannik Sinner in the Miami Open.

“After two months of competing, I am happy to be back home but sad that I finished my semi-final match in Miami with discomfort,” the U.S. Open champion said in a post on social media.

“After visiting my doctor today … and being evaluated, I won’t be able to go to Monte Carlo to start the clay court tour.

Monte Carlo Masters will begin on 8th April.