Rafael Nadal pulls out of Acapulco with injury

World No.2 Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Mexican Open as he continues to struggle with a hip injury.

The Spaniard had been scheduled to face compatriot Feliciano Lopez in his opening match in Acapulco on Tuesday.

“Tough one, of course,” Nadal told TennisTV.

“Yesterday in the last practice I felt something … I went to the hospital this morning to check it, to do an MRI, and I still have some liquid there.

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“I need to keep doing tests to know exactly what’s going on. The spot is really similar to Australia so I need to be sure about what’s going on the next couple of days.

“Then we’re gonna work hard to try and recover as soon as possible. It’s impossible today now to say something realistic about if I’m going to be in Indian Wells or not. My goal is be there … but of course I can’t say yes or no now.

“I hope the test will be as positive as possible, and then let’s see.”

Nadal’s last competitive match was his Australian Open quarterfinal against Marin Cilic, when the 16-time Grand Slam champion retired in the fifth set because of the hip problem.

He has now either retired or withdrawn from his last six tournaments in Basel, Paris, the ATP Finals in London, Brisbane, the Australian Open and now Acapulco.