Rafael Nadal won't be able to play the Italian Open either as he remains hampered by a nagging hip injury. (More Tennis News)
“I'm sorry to announce that I won't be able to be in Rome,” Nadal said in a Twitter post in Spanish on Friday.
“You all know how much it hurts me to miss another one of the tournaments that has a place in my career as a professional and a person as well as for the support my Italian fans show me.”
Nadal has won the Italian Open a record 10 times.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has been sidelined since January by a left hip flexor injury he picked up at the Australian Open. The issue had already kept him from playing at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid.
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Nadal said even though he feels better he is not ready to play.
“Despite noting an improvement in recent days, it has been several months since I have been able to train at a high level,” he wrote.
“The re-adaptation process needs its time, and I don't have any choice other than to accept that.”
The 36-year-old Nadal did not mention his prospects for being fit for the French Open starting on May 28.
