JOIN USNadal has dropped to third in the rankings, behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, after knee problems disrupted his 2009 season.
The Spaniard looked to have regained his old dominance on clay when he blew away his challengers to win a record sixth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title earlier this month.
But he pulled out of last week's Barcelona Open to have a rest before defending his title at the Rome Masters this week.
"I suppose we'll play a little less," Nadal's coach and uncle Toni Nadal said.
"(The decision to miss Barcelona) was also related to the need to prepare for the upcoming season, which is hard, and avoid having problems with Wimbledon and Roland Garros."
"The important thing for Rafa is not the ranking, but to be in good shape for every tournament he takes part in, to know that he has the chance to win the tournaments he takes part in," Toni added.