Rafael Nadal ended his silence on the subject after surprising many with his withdrawal from the Indian Wells Open.

When the Spanish player took the court in Las Vegas to play Carlos Alcaraz at the Netflix Slam, a lot of fans were happy. We never really know, though, if he will play an event because of how the last year went for him.

It was evident from the moment he took the court that he would not abandon the contest this time. It was wonderful to see, and many speculated that he would play the next day at the Indian Wells Open. How come he wouldn’t? He appeared well and robust.

Regretfully, he withdrew prior to the event, therefore he was unable to perform. The decision caught many off guard, while some—like Andy Roddick—saw it coming.

He didn’t say much about the choice when it was made, but in a recent interview with Marca, he provided some clarification. His withdrawal was due to a simple reason: he didn’t feel prepared to compete in the event.

“The reality is that I didn’t feel ready to start playing a tournament at this level, with the little training background I had behind me at the level I needed.”

Nadal on leaving Indian Wells

“I didn’t want to start a tournament coming from where I came from, with no guarantee of being able to advance to at least the levels that I think I need to demand of myself to try and start a tournament.”

Contextually speaking, the withdrawal makes sense. In the end, Nadal is the one who knows his body the best. If he feels uncomfortable going back, he should listen to his own instincts rather than those of those who disapproved of his choice to play the exhibition rather than the ATP Masters 1000 event.

In the end, Indian Wells was never going to be his destination. It’s obvious that this is Roland Garros, therefore everything he did had to be seen in that light. Withdrawing made the greatest sense at this moment.