SAO PAULO, Brazil - Rafael Nadal will not play his scheduled doubles match at the Brazil Open on Wednesday because of "knee overuse", organisers said.
But they added that the Spanish star intends to play his opening singles match on Thursday against Brazilian Joao Souza.
World No.5 Nadal had been scheduled to team up with Argentina's David Nalbandian in a second-round encounter against Argentine Horacio Zeballos and Austrian Oliver Marach on Wednesday.
Former world No.1 Nadal only returned to the tennis circuit in Chile last week, where he lost in the final, after a seven-month injury absence.
"The conditions are very difficult. The court is not in the best condition and the ball is very difficult to control," Nalbandian told a press conference.
Nalbandian and Nadal won a hard-fought match 6-3 3-6 11-9 against Spaniards Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on the court late Tuesday.
"It's too bad I cannot play the doubles after the match Rafa and I had (yesterday)" Nalbandian said.