Madrid: Top-ranked Rafael Nadal will skip next week's Dubai Tennis Championships to rest a minor knee injury ahead of Spain's opening Davis Cup tie next month.
Nadal strained a ligament in his ABN Amro final loss to Andy Murray on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Nadal said on Monday that the injury wasn't serious, but he prefers not to take any chances with Spain scheduled to meet Serbia in a World Group first round matchup.
"I am very disappointed not to be able to compete in Dubai, but the doctor has advised me to stay home and rest after the pain in my knee in Rotterdam last week," Nadal wrote on his website on Thursday. "Nothing to be worried about but it needs some rest."
The injury is just below Nadal's right knee. Tendinitis in the same knee that forced the Australian Open champion to miss the Davis Cup final in November, when Spain beat Argentina for their third title in eight years.
Nadal, who is likely to go against third-ranked Novak Djokovic during the March 6-8 tie in Benidorm, said he was planning to play at Indian Wells in Florida after the Davis Cup tie.
Also on Thursday, Marca newspaper reported that Fernando Verdasco, who clinched victory for Spain at Mar del Plata, will skip Dubai to rest his injured left foot.
Roger Federer had already pulled out of the Dubai tournament because of a back problem that has bothered him since last year. Federer also will skip Switzerland's Davis Cup series against the United States next month.
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