World number one tennis player Rafael Nadal will miss two upcoming tournaments in China to recover from knee problems.

Nadal, 32, tweeted on Thursday that after consultations with his medical team he has decided to withdraw from the Beijing Open starting October 1 and the following week's Shanghai Masters.

"While discomfort in my knee is nothing new, we decided together with my medical and technical team not to participate in the Asian tour to recover the knee in a way we have always done," he said.

Nadal retired two weeks ago in his US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro after losing the first two sets. He also missed last weekend's Davis Cup semi-final against France.

The Spaniard won the Beijing event and was a finalist in Shanghai. His number one ranking could come under threat as a result, with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic behind him in the ATP list.

Nadal will be aiming to return for the last two events of the year, the Paris Masters from October 29 and the ATP World Tour Finals in London from November 11 which bring together the eight best players of the year.

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