PARIS — Rafael Nadal has pulled out of his second-round match at the Paris Masters because of an abdominal problem, meaning Novak Djokovic will reclaim the No. 1 ranking.
Nadal was returning from a right knee injury which forced him to retire from the U.S. Open semifinals, but took medical advice not to play against Fernando Verdasco.
Nadal says he felt abdominal pain ''especially'' while serving and ''the doctor says that is recommended to not play, because if I continue the abdominal maybe can break and can be a major thing.''
Djokovic, who won his second-round match on Tuesday, will reclaim the top ranking from Nadal on Monday.