Rafael Nadal withdraws from Queen's

Rafael Nadal has announced that he will not take part at Queen's next week.

The world number one had been due to begin his Wimbledon preparations at the famous London event, with Novak Djokovic having joined a stellar field earlier this week.

However, Nadal has revealed that he requires a period of rest before taking to the grass having won an 11th French Open crown on Sunday.

The 32-year-old said: "Queen's is a great event, I have happy memories of winning the title in 2008 and I wanted to come back this year but it has been a very long clay court season for me with great results.

"I would like to say sorry to the tournament organisers and most of all to the fans that were hoping to see me play, but I have spoken to my doctors and I need to listen to what my body is telling me."

Nadal has won the Queen's title on one occasion, registering a straight-sets win over Djokovic in 2008.