Del Potro pulls out due to injury

Juan Martin Del Potro was forced to pull out of the Madrid Open with a hip injury just hours before his mouth-watering third round showdown with top seed Rafael Nadal.

Del Potro, the former world number four, dropped to 484th in the rankings after playing just three tournaments in 2010 having undergone wrist surgery, but he had climbed back up to 32nd spot with two victories already this year, the latest in Estoril at the weekend.

"The pain started last week in Estoril, between the semis and the final, and the pain is getting worse day by day and I really felt it a lot today, so that's more reason for not playing," he said.

"I have experience of injuries so I took the decision not to play. Of course it would have been a nice match for me today (against Nadal) but unfortunately I can't play and hopefully I'll be ready as soon as I can."

Del Potro, who confirmed he would not be taking part in next week's Rome Masters as he returns to Argentina for treatment, added: "I want to play as soon as I can.

"It would've been a very nice match today but I can't play and I really feel sad for that. It's a nice tournament, nice people here, nice fans, but I can't. Hopefully I can be ready for playing in Nice and the French Open."