Rafael Nadal has announced his withdrawal from next week’s Monte Carlo Masters, in a move which will add to fears that he has reached a physical tipping point.

At 36, Nadal has been out of competition since he broke down in the second round of the Australian Open. Once the injury had been diagnosed as a strained hip flexor, his doctors suggested that the recovery time should be six to eight weeks.

Nadal did indeed start posting training videos in early March, which was roughly in keeping with the suggested timescale. But now it seems he is taking an ultra-cautious route back to the match court.

“Monte Carlo is and has been a key event on my career,” said Nadal in a statement. “But I am still not ready to compete without the risk of getting injured.”