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Canadians Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil both withdraw from Barcelona ATP event

Both Pospisil and Raonic are taking a pass on Barcelona. (AP Photo/ Marko Drobnjakovic)
Both Pospisil and Raonic are taking a pass on Barcelona. (AP Photo/ Marko Drobnjakovic)

It's just the start of the European clay-court season, so Canadians Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic are taking no chances.

After getting through two matches in Monte Carlo and being forced to retire in his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic because of a foot injury, top Canadian Raonic pulled out of next week's event in Barcelona, Spain.

He was not scheduled to play the week after that, so that will give him two full weeks to treat the injury, believed to be to a metatarsal bone in the foot, before the two big Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome.

As for Pospisil, he dealt with some knee tendonitis through the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments in the U.S. Needing time to heal up, his clay-court preparation was pushed back and clearly he felt he wouldn't be ready in time for Barcelona.

Pospisil will head to Europe early next week to rejoin coach Frédéric Fontang, with the plan to play the following week's tournament in Munich, Germany.

Hel will need a withdrawal from the main entry list to get straight in; at the moment, he is the first on the alternate list.