Rafael Nadal WITHDRAWS, Roger Federer reaches Indian Wells final

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal withdraws from action prior to his semifinals match with Roger Federer at the Indian Wells Masters.

Roger Federer moves on at the 2019 Indian Wells Masters after Rafael Nadal announces his withdrawal. The second seeded Nadal was set to take on Federer for the 39th time in their careers this Saturday. The two reached the semifinals at Indian Wells but is is Federer who now advances for a chance at his sixth title there.

Nadal announced that his knee was not in good enough shape to compete at the level he would like to. The Spanish great has struggled due to ongoing knee issues in recent years.

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With Nadal out of the mix, all eyes turn to Federer at the BNP Paribas Open. The Swiss legend is tied with Novak Djokovic in terms of total men’s singles titles at the event. Both players have five to their name and now Federer can inch ahead of the Serbian if he can win tomorrow.

Federer awaits the winner of Dominic Thiem and Milos Raonic. The two tennis stars are currently in action and tied at 6-6 as of writing. Their match could go either way at this point.

Thiem is in need of a dominant tournament performance and title as he has started the year with just a 3-4 ATP singles match record. Raonic will rely on his experience but both players have fared extremely well so far at Indian Wells.

As for what the future holds for Nadal, he is set to play at the Monte Carlo Masters next month. We are approaching the clay court season and, if healthy, the King of Clay should return to his usual dominant self. He needs to prove that he can go the distance at his upcoming tournaments though. Nadal has missed several events or been forced to withdraw mid-tournament a handful of times in the last year.

Federer ought to be considered the favorite at Indian Wells moving forward. Stay tuned to see how Rafael Nadal bounces back after this withdrawal. No matter who Federer faces in the finals though, men’s singles action is set to deliver a thrilling finish.