Rafael Nadal withdraws from Monte Carlo Masters

Rafael Nadal announced Thursday that he withdrew from the Monte Carlo Masters because his body is not ready for the rigors of a tournament.

"Hi all, these are very difficult moments for me, sporting wise," the 22-time Grand Slam champion wrote on social media. "Unfortunately I have to tell you that I am not going to be playing in Monte-Carlo. My body simply won't allow me. And even if I am working hard & making the maximum effort every day with all the will to play and compete again at tournaments that have been very important for me, the truth is that I can't play today.

"You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events. The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better."

Nadal, 37, is an 11-time champion at the Monte Carlo Masters, a clay-court ATP 1000 tournament that begins on Sunday in Monaco.

He has played in just one ATP event this year — the Brisbane International in January — after being sidelined for almost a year with a hip flexor injury. He won two matches before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals.

—Field Level Media