Tim Henman has withdrawn from his comeback tournament in Marseille next week as he looks to make a complete recovery from a knee injury.
The British number two pulled out of last month's Australian Open but was aiming to make his first appearance since October in the south of France.
Instead, the 32-year-old has set his sights on returning at the Rotterdam Open which starts on 19 February.
Henman said: "My priority now is to be fully fit before I compete again."
Henman insists, however, that his decision is precautionary and he is generally satisfied with his recovery.
"I just didn't want to rush back before I've had the chance to push my knee in practice"
He told his official website: "The good news is that my knee is now a lot better than it was before.
"I feel confident if there are no major setbacks then I'll be ready for Rotterdam.
"Unfortunately, I've been forced to delay my return to competition despite a vast improvement.
"I was hoping to play in the Open 13 in Marseille but I've decided to pull out.
"I've been practising this week and it's a case of so far so good, but I just didn't want to rush back on to the court before I've had the chance to really push it in practice.
"It's healing really well and I haven't felt any twinges so far, but I haven't been able to train on it as much as I would have wanted."