John G Mabanglo/EPA, via Shutterstock
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Rafael Nadal withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday, done in once again by a knee injury.
He had been set to play his longtime rival, Roger Federer, in the semifinals. A somber Nadal announced his withdrawal a couple of hours before he was scheduled to take the court.
“I warm up today in the morning, and I felt that my knee was not enough good to compete at the level that I need to compete,” he said.
Nadal’s right knee flared up in the second set of his 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) victory over Karen Khachanov in Friday’s quarterfinals.