Roger Federer has announced his withdrawal from next week's Dubai Men's Open to rest his injured back. Federer, the world No 2 and one of the biggest stars of the game, announced his decision on his website. The organisers, however, are unaware of the decision. "I am disappointed to announce that I am withdrawing from both Dubai and the Davis Cup tie in the United States," said the four-time Dubai champion. "This was a hard decision to make as I am missing not only one of my favourite events on tour in Dubai, but I am also missing out on an opportunity to help my country try and move on to the next round of Davis Cup. "After injuring my back last fall, I did not have enough time to strengthen it completely. "As a precautionary measure, I will use the next few weeks to make sure the back injury is fully rehabilitated and I am ready for the rest of the 2009 season." Federer could be joined on the sidelines by Rafael Nadal, the world No 1, who said yesterday that he is assessing an injury to his right leg. Nadal was injured during the final of the ABN Amro tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday against the Briton Andy Murray. Nadal received treatment midway through the match and subsequently wilted away to a 6-0 loss in the third and deciding set. The withdrawal of Federer and the possibility of Nadal not attending the event that starts on Monday could leave Murray, who also won in Qatar last month, the favourite to pick up his third title of the year. arizvi@thenational.ae snelmes@thenational.ae
