The dream of seeing Rafa Nadal in Auckland won't happen this year, with the World No3 turning down a Heineken Open wild card.
His surprise first round loss at the Qatar Open yesterday led to speculation that the 14 time Grand Slam winner could be persuaded to seek some competitive matches elsewhere, rather than go into the Australian Open cold.
Both the Auckland and Sydney ATP tournaments made offers to Nadal, but he has decided to stick with his original plans of preparing in Melbourne the week before the grand slam.
Nadal also won his doubles match overnight, which featured New Zealander Artem Sitak, which will extend his stay in Doha.
"We are naturally disappointed but I am very proud of our efforts over the last 36 hours. We presented an outstanding case to Rafa, and I would like to thank ATEED for [their]support," said Heineken Open tournament director Karl Budge.
"[However] we believe we are now in a position where these sorts of players are a real possibility, and we remain optimistic of chasing such players in 2016."
