© Getty Images Sport – Sean M. Haffey
Indian Wells Masters tournament director Tommy Haas highlighted Rafael Nadal will be greatly missed in the desert this year as the tournament also decided to do a fair thing and refund money to those who bought tickets for Thursday’s evening session hoping to watch the Spaniard in action.
During the opening day of the Indian Wells Masters, former world No. 1 Nadal announced that he would not be ready to return to make his comeback in the desert. Previously, the 22-time Grand Slam champion sustained a tear in his leg muscle in his first tournament of the year in Brisbane.
On Thursday, Nadal was scheduled to meet Milos Raonic in the Indian Wells first round – a matchup that was set to highlight first-round action in the desert.
“We are disappointed that Rafa is unable to play in the BNP Paribas Open, but we wish him continued healing and hope he can be back in action again soon. He is one of the all-time fan favorites here, and we hope to see him back in Indian Wells again in the future,” Haas said in a statement released.
In their statement, the tournament also encouraged those who purchased evening session tickets for Thursday to contact the box office regarding a…
