London, United KingdomRafael Nadal of Spain attends a news conference after being defeated by Nick Kyrgios of Australia in their men's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 1, 2014.
London, United KingdomRafael Nadal of Spain attends a news conference after being defeated by Nick Kyrgios of Australia in their men's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 1, 2014. REUTERS

Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal is pulling out of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) due to health reasons. The news of the Spaniard's exclusion from the massive event is a big blow to the organizers of the tournament who announced the development via Twitter:

We regret to announce that due to health reasons, #RafaelNadal will not be playing in the #IPTL. We're rooting for you, #GetWellSoonRafa!

— IPTL (@iptl) September 22, 2014

The 14-time tennis grand slam champion has been nursing an assortment of injuries all throughout the year. The latest setback, a wrist injury held him out of the 2014 US Open. He sustained the injury during practice and robbed him of the chance to annex his fifteenth grand slam trophy.

According to Daily Mail, a United Kingdom-based news website, The IPTL is trying to make tennis history by offering a huge amount of cash prizes which are expected to reach almost $30 million. Nadal was slated to appear beside American tennis legend Pete Sampras for the Indian franchise which will commence from Nov. 28 to Dec. 13. There are four teams that will vie for the top prizes.

The best player and number one ranked Novak Djokovic had already confirmed his entry as well as women's number one Serena Williams. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, Carolinje Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic are just some of the names that will compete in the four nation event. The other venues of the upcoming IPTL are India, United Arab Emirates, Philippines and Singapore, which is patterned to cricket's Indian Premier League. The four teams will compete in singles, doubles and mixed doubles events. Also included in the tournament is a men's legends singles having only one set per match and no advantage scoring.

Nadal's omission from the lineup will be a big blow to the draw of the tournament given that ticket sales alone in the said countries have been nearing the sold-out status. The tournament organizers have yet to announce Nadal's replacement as of press time.