Injured Del Potro pulls out of Indian Wells

Indian Wells (United States) (AFP) - Sixth-seeded Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro pulled out of the Indian Wells Masters on Sunday with a left wrist injury.

The same injury had forced the world number seven to retire from his first round match in Dubai last month.

"It's still hurting a lot, I'm not feeling 100 percent, I'm not in good condition to compete," 2013 finalist del Potro said in a hastily-arranged press conference at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

He had been slated to play Spain's Feliciano Lopez in a second-round match on Sunday after enjoying a first-round bye.

Since he had yet to play a match, his place in the draw will be taken by British lucky loser James Ward.

Del Potro had tested the wrist in doubles on Saturday.

"I feel the same pain every day and it bothers me a lot," he said. "I'm trying to be very careful."

He said he hoped that more than a week of treatment would allow him to play in the Miami Masters, which comes on the heels of Indian Wells.

He has been battling the injury since the Australian Open in January.

It's a sobering situation for del Potro, whose 2009 US Open triumph was followed by a 2010 campaign in which he played just three tournaments because of a right wrist injury.

He earned ATP comeback player of the year honors in 2011 after painstakingly rebuilding a world ranking that had plunged in the wake of his injury.