Rafael Nadal has decided to pull out from the upcoming Australian Open 2024. The 22-time Grand Slam winner returned to the court recently at the Brisbane Open International tournament. Nadal made a winning comeback but unfortunately, he incurred a minor muscle tear at the quarterfinal stage of the match against Jordon Thompson.

Following the scare, the Spaniard announced on Sunday that he would not be taking part in the Australian Open 2024. It could be seen as a measure to stop the injury from aggravating.

Nadal announced his decision via. social media.

Here's what he wrote:

Hi all, during my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried. Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news. 
Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in 5 sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest.

Nadal won his first two competitive matches of the year, beating former No. 3-ranked Dominic Thiem and Australian wildcard entry Jason Kubler, before losing to Thompson. He had three match points in the second set of his quarterfinal but could not hold onto them to eventually lose the match in three sets. The Australian Open is scheduled to start on January 14, 2024.