Rafael Nadal joins Roger Federer in withdrawing from Miami Open

Rafael Nadal has joined career rival Roger Federer in withdrawing from the Miami Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center, leaving the Masters tournament in short of star power.

Nadal was the latest to exit the Miami Open after the Spaniard withdrew from his second round match against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur 2-6, 6-4, 3-0(ret.) due to a dizzy spell, joining Federer, who also withdrew in his opening match against Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro due to a stomach virus. The 29-year-old Nadal was down 3-0 in the final set before retiring from the match that lasted for one hour and 50 minutes.

Nadal had a good run at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last week and was hoping to carry his momentum in Key Biscayne, where he would have bid for his first title of the season, as well as his first at the tournament. He admitted he wanted to finish the match, but the Mallorcan said he was concern about his health as he preserve his form heading into the clay-court season.

“Everything was fine until the end of the first set,” Nadal said, reports the ATP’s official website. “Then I started to feel dizzy, not very good. It was getting worse and worse. Finally, in the second set, I realised that I could not keep playing.”

Meanwhile, Dzumhur will next face Kazakhstan Mikhail Kukushkin, who also advanced into Round of 16 after Thomaz Bellucci retired hurt in the third set of their match. The world No. 94 Bosnian said it was not the finish he expected, adding that the match could have gone the other way if he was the first to retire from the game.

“Between the first and second sets, I called a medical time-out,” Dzumhur said. “I was really thinking about retirement, but just said to myself, ‘I'm playing Rafa. I don’t have a chance to play these guys every day. I want to enjoy this moment.’ So I tried to continue."

Nadal is expected to have his next tournament in April at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, where he joins the Swiss Maestro and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.