Tennis champ Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Toronto’s Rogers Cup, as he works to recover from a knee injury. Organizers made the announcement Thursday afternoon.

It’s the first time since 2004 that Nadal has missed the Canadian event.

His injury also forced him to pull out of the London Olympics, where he was expected to compete for Spain.

“Coming to Toronto is always one of the highlights of my season so I’m very disappointed that I can’t play there this year,” Nadal said in a statement. “I was planning on coming to Toronto and did everything I could to be ready but I still need some more time to recover.”

Other players that have withdrawn pull out of the event include David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco of Spain as well as Gael Monfils of France.

The Rogers Cup begins Saturday at the Rexall Centre at York University. It runs until Aug. 12.