Rafael Nadal explains Indian Wells withdrawal: "Didn't want to start with no guarantee of being able to advance to levels I need to demand of myself" 

Rafael Nadal recently explained his withdrawal from the 2024 Indian Wells Masters, stating that he didn't want to begin without assurance that he could reach the standards he expects of himself.

Nadal played at the Brisbane International in January but has only been on the court once since then. That was during the Netflix Slam on March 3, where he competed against fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. He also initially intended to compete at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, but had to withdraw due to fitness concerns.

On Wednesday, March 20, the 22-time Grand Slam champion spoke at the Rafa Nadal Foundation Awards ceremony in Palma. He mentioned that he didn't feel ready to take part in a tournament given his current fitness level and the training he had undergone.

"The reality is that I didn't feel ready to start playing a tournament at this level, with the little training background I had behind me at the level I needed," Nadal said (via Eurosports).

Nadal added:

"I didn't want to start a tournament coming from where I came from, with no guarantee of being able to advance to at least the levels that I think I need to demand of myself to try and start a tournament."

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Rafael Nadal on his walk back to fitness: "I'm going day by day"

2024 Brisbane International: Day 6

At the award ceremony, Rafael Nadal also said he was being realistic, noting his struggles over the previous year and a half. His goal now is to take each day as it comes and focus on returning to the tour.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm optimistic or not; I'm a realist. For the last year and a half or two it's been impossible for me to compete, so the first objective is to try to compete and I'm going day by day," the Spaniard said.

"If I had to be optimistic or negative, I probably wouldn't even be trying. It's a long time, I have a lot of years and a very long career behind me. At the end of the day I try not to be one thing or the other, I try to go day by day, do the work I have to do to give myself opportunities and we'll see how long we can try," he added.

Nadal is preparing to get back in shape for the clay season, and he's on the entry list for the Monte-Carlo Masters (April 6-14). The Spaniard has won the tournament a record 11 times, bagging it eight years in a row between 2005 and 2012.