Nadal to Miss Season-Ending ATP World Tour Finals in London

Rafael Nadal withdrew from next month’s season-ending ATP World Tour Finals as he continues to recovery from a knee injury.

World No. 4 Nadal, 26, has not played since June, when he lost to Lukas Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon. The 11- time Grand Slam singles champion will also miss next week’s Paris Masters.

“It doesn’t come as a surprise,” Nadal, who won his record seventh French Open title in June, said on the ATP World Tour’s website. “I will hopefully resume my tennis practice soon since I am making good progress with my recovery from injury.”

The Spaniard is scheduled to play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi in December. The event is a warm-up for the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 14 in Melbourne.

The top eight men’s players after the Paris Masters qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals, which will be played Nov. 5-12 in London.

Nadal’s withdrawal will open a place for the ninth-ranked player, currently Serbia’s Janko Tipsarevic.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Bensch in London at bbensch@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.