Rafael Nadal pulls out of Miami Masters 2021

Rafael Nadal hails from Spain and is the joint-most Grand Slam winner after Switzerland's Roger Federer, having won 20. Nadal holds the record for winning most French Open titles (13) to date and looks sure to win his 14th this term. Meanwhile, he seems to be skipping the hard-court tournaments of late.

Spanish tennis legend and modern-day great Rafael Nadal looks to keep himself fit for the upcoming clay-court season. Meanwhile, he has withdrawn from the forthcoming Miami Masters, which would be played on hard-court from March 22.

Nadal took to his Twitter to announce the decision, as he reasoned it as a precautionary measure to keep himself fit for the clay season. "Rafael Nadal hails from Spain and is the joint-most Grand Slam winner after Switzerland's Roger Federer, having won 20. Nadal holds the record for winning most French Open titles (13) to date and looks sure to win his 14th this term," he wrote.

Following his announcement, Miami wished him luck for his future, besides wanting to have him back next season. "Miami loves you back! Best of luck in your recovery - hope to see you back on the court soon!" a tweet from the organisers read.

As far as Nadal'sperformance in the tournament is concerned, he has a 4-12 record, while he has never won the competition, besides finishing as the runner-up on five occasions. His last appearance happened to be in 2017, where he lost to Swiss great Roger Federer in the final.

Nadal is a 20-time Grand Slam champion, a record feat he holds along with Federer. He is also a record 13-time French Open champion, as he looks to extend the streak to 14 this season.

As for Miami, reigning world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia remains the top seed. Among others are Daniil Medvedev (Russia), Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece), Alexander Zverev (Germany), while many more top stars are to feature, while Federer misses out due to improper fitness.