Indian Wells, March 7 (IANS): Three-time champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the 2024 Paribas Open, saying he is not fully ready to compete at the highest level.

The ATP 1000 Masters event's main draw started on Thursday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

The former No. 1 has been on site in the California desert and trained Tuesday evening. But he will not take the court against former World No. 3 Milos Raonic and will be replaced by lucky loser Sumit Nagal of India, who succumbed to South Korea's Seong-chan Hong in a hard-fought encounter during the final qualifying round.

"It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament. Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here at Indian Wells. That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.

"I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don’t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event. It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans. I will miss you all and I am sure the tournament will be a great success,' Nadal said in a statement.

The 37-year-old, who has reached the final in 2022 during his last visit to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, would have been making just his second appearance of the year, following a quarter-final run to the ATP 250 in Brisbane in the first week of the season.

After an 11-month hiatus due to a hip flexor injury, the 37-year-old Spaniard made his comeback to the tour in early January, won two matches at Brisbane, then suffered a micro tear to a muscle near his left hip during a quarterfinal loss to Jordan Thompson in his last contested ATP match.