Nadal gives Queen’s a miss

Rafael Nadal yesterday withdrew from the FeverTree championships at Queen’s Club, three days after winning his 11th French Open title.

It is the third consecutive year the world number one has entered the tournament, which begins on Monday, only to pull out before the start.

Nadal said: “Queen’s is a great event, I have happy memories of winning the title in 2008 and I wanted to come back this year. But it has been a very long claycourt season for me. I have spoken to my doctors and I need to listen to what my body is telling me.”

Nadal last played at Queen’s Club in 2015 and will once again go into Wimbledon without any official grass-court matches. He has struggled at SW19 in recent years, failing to progress beyond the fourth round since his last final appearance in 2011.

Queen’s organisers an- nounced the strongest lineup in the tournament’s history and will now wait to hear whether Andy Murray will follow Nadal in withdrawing.

The two-time Wimbledon champion has to decide whether to make his comeback from hip surgery in West Kensington.

Roger Federer, meanwhile, returned to action with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory against Mischa Zverev at the Mercedes Cup tennis tournament in Stuttgart yesterday. l Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the Nature Valley Classic at Edgbaston as she rests ahead of Wimbledon. The 31-year-old has suffered an injury-plagued start to the season.

Rafael Nadal