Nadal pulls out of Rotterdam event with back problem

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he was pulling out of next week’s ATP tournament in Rotterdam to recover from the back problems that hampered him in Australia.

The world number two withdrew from the ATP Cup in Adelaide before the Australian Open, in which he struggled with back pain before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals earlier this month.

‘It is with great sadness that I have to forfeit from Rotterdam,’ Nadal said in a statement from the tournament organisers.

‘As most of the fans know, I suffered some back problems in Australia that started in Adelaide and continued during Melbourne.

‘We found a temporary solution that allowed me to play without pain in the second week of the tournament. Once I got back to Spain I visited my doctor and together with my team they’ve advised not to play this upcoming week.’