Rafael Nadal Ends ATP Season Early Following Injury

Rafael Nadal at the French Open Tennis Championships in 2019
Rafael Nadal at the French Open Tennis Championships in 2019. Photo by Ella Ling/BPI/Shutterstock (10266531ad)

20-time grand slam winner Rafael Nadal has announced that he will be ending his ATP season early due to an injury on his left foot that has been plaguing him for the last year. As a result, he will not be competing in the US Open, which is set to begin later this month.

The ATP number 4 suffered an early exit from the ATP 250 event in Washington D.C. earlier this month, losing 4-6, 6-1, and 4-6 to South Africa’s Lloyd Harris in their round of 16 clash. Last week, the Spaniard pulled out of the Masters 1000 event in Toronto due to his persisting injury.

Nadal publicly announced his withdrawal from the remainder of the 2021 season via Twitter, explaining: “Honestly, I have been suffering much more than I should with my foot for a year and I need to take some time … to find a solution to this problem or at least improve it in order to continue to have options for the next few years.”

Nadal is not the only fan favorite that will be missed at the US Open this year. 20-time grand slam champion Roger Federer also had to pull out of the event, citing a knee surgery that will keep him out of tennis for at least a few months.

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