World no1 Rafael Nadal's latest charity eSports match at the Virtual Madrid Open was postponed due to a back injury suffered by the Spaniard, according to tournament director Feliciano Lopez.
The 33-year-old - who is in the same group as Andy Murray - had won his opening tie of the tournament between professional players, beating Canadian Denis Shapovalov 4-3.
Nadal had agreed to take on gamer DjMariio as part of the tournament's charity event but was forced to reschedule, citing a back injury as the reason for his absence.
The Spaniard is certainly no stranger to injury problems after missing the opportunity to defend his Wimbledon and Olympic titles due to issues with his knee.
But fans were left scratching their heads following Nadal's withdrawal and Lopez was forced to explain the King of Clay's no-show.
"We had Rafa, but I think he had an issue on his back today," Lopez said.
"I think he was injured, so he requested to play (again) tomorrow."
With the coronavirus pandemic having wiped out the global tennis schedule until at least mid-July, the hole in the calendar is this week being filled with Madrid's 'virtual' event.
32 male and female players are battling it out at a Manolo Santana Stadium that has been recreated in exquisite detail in the Tennis World Tour video game designed by Nacon Gaming.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
