Rafael Nadal pulls out of Paris Masters

Madrid: Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Paris Masters to focus on the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals and Davis Cup final.

The second-ranked Nadal says on his Facebook page the decision to pull out of next week's event at Bercy was necessary "to prepare well for the end of this season and also for 2012."

The Spaniard has not played since losing to the 23rd-ranked Florian Mayer in the second round in Shanghai three weeks ago.

Nadal is one of five players already qualified for the season-ending Nov. 20-27 tournament in London, which features the year's top eight players.

The French Open champion is also expected to play for Spain against Argentina in the December 2-4 Davis Cup final.