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American Mackenzie McDonald, who is No. 48, will avoid having to qualify and will move directly to the main draw.

Rafael Nadal celebrates his victory against Novak Djokovic during the men’s singles quarterfinal match at the French Open in Paris May 31, 2022. Photo by Ryan Pierse /Getty Images

Five-time Canadian Open champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the National Bank Open Friday. The Spaniard said he is still dealing with an abdominal problem that forced him to pull out of his Wimbledon semifinal match against Australian Nick Kyrgios.

Nadal, who has won a record 22 Grand Slam titles, announced his decision hours before the official draw for the event, which begins Saturday with qualifying matches at the Jarry Tennis Centre. He was scheduled to be the No. 2 seed behind Russian Alexander Medvedev.

Novak Djokoovic, who is right behind Nadal with 21 Grand Slam wins, officially withdrew Thursday, but he wasn’t expected to appear because he is unvaccinated against COVID and can’t enter Canada.

“I have been practicing for a while now without serving and started with serves four days ago,” Nadal said in a statement issued by Tennis Canada. “Everything has been going well. However, yesterday, after my normal practice, I felt a slight bother…