Rafael Nadal out of Indian Wells, Miami with injured hip

FLASHBACK: Rafael Nadal hits a backhand winner at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Championships.

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the upcoming hard-court tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami on Tuesday because of the left hip flexor injury that has sidelined him since the Australian Open.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion tweeted about his withdrawals, which were expected but still raise questions about when he will be able to return to action.

"Took my time off, started rehab, gym and physiotherapy as instructed by the doctors,"

Nadal wrote as part of a thread on Twitter that included videos showing him in the gym. "Getting ready to come back ... in the best conditions."

He is a three-time winner and reached the 2022 final at the BNP Paribas Open in California, where the men begin main-draw play on March 8. That will be followed by the Miami Open, another Masters 1000 tournament, where ATP action starts on March 22 and Nadal last competed in 2017. He has never won the title there and is a five-time runner-up, including two losses apiece in finals against rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

After Miami, the men's tennis circuit shifts to the European red clay, leading up to the French Open in late May.