Indian Wells (California), Feb 28 (AP) Defending champion Juan Martin del Potro has withdrawn from next month's BNP Paribas Open because of a knee injury.

Del Potro said Wednesday through tournament officials that he's been advised to rest by his doctors and he hopes to return to action soon. He defeated Roger Federer to win his first Masters 1000 title last year in the Southern California desert.

The fourth-ranked Argentine lost in the quarterfinals of last week's Delray Beach Open in Florida. It was del Potro's first tournament since injuring his knee at the Shanghai Masters in October.

Del Potro had already pulled out of this week's Mexican Open in Acapulco, which he won last year. He also missed the Australian Open in January.

With del Potro's withdrawal, Taro Daniel of Japan moves into the men's draw. The women's draw already lost two-time winner Maria Sharapova, who withdrew with a shoulder injury. The tournament runs March 6-17 in Indian Wells.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)