Despite withdrawing from the first ATP 1000 event of the year, Rafael Nadal remained in Indian Wells for a while to give his fans a chance to meet him.
Nadal had hoped that his comeback tour would continue in Indian Wells, but unfortunately, it didn't quite work out. After returning and playing rather well in the Netflix Slam exhibition against Carlos Alcaraz a few days ago, Nadal was supposed to play in Indian Wells.
Unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw and push back his comeback to the clay season. It's the last thing he wants, but as he said in his announcement, he has to be honest with himself.
The last thing Nadal needs to do is rush the comeback and create an even bigger problem for himself, especially when he doesn't need to.
It was a huge letdown for both himself and many fans who flocked to Indian Wells with the hope of seeing him. After having to deny them a chance to see him play, the 22-time major winner stayed behind and had a prolonged autograph-signing session with the fans.
it was a unique chance for the fans to see Nadal up close and interact with him. It was also a nice gesture by the Spaniard, who didn't really need to do it, but he did anyway.
With the announcement, his time in Indian Wells was basically over, and he could have just left for Spain. As some pointed out on social media, this might have been Nadal's last time in Indian Wells.
If he can choose, it won't be, but the choice won't be easy. At his age and in his situation, it might have been, so that's possibly one of the reasons why he stayed behind.
In any case, Nadal signing fans' autographs was the only highlight of his performance in Indian Wells, unfortunately.
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