Rafael Nadal pulls out of US Open, will miss remainder of 2021 tennis season
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2021 US Open and will miss the remainder of the tennis season with a lingering foot injury, he announced Friday via social media.
"Hello everyone, I wanted to inform you that unfortunately I have to end the 2021 season," Nadal wrote, translated from Spanish. "Honestly, I've been suffering a lot more than I should with my foot for a year and I need to take some time."
Nadal failed to capture his 14th French Open title earlier this year, losing in the semifinal to Novak Djokovic, who won the tournament, in four sets.
The Spaniard then sat out two months, missing Wimbledon and this summer's Tokyo Olympics, before returning in early August for a US Open Series event in Washington, D.C. He fell to Lloyd Harris in the round of 16 and didn't compete in any other warm-up tournaments.
Although Nadal will be sidelined until 2022, he said his intention is to return once healthy with hope for a "couple of beautiful years" to finish his career.
Roger Federer also withdrew from the US Open because of knee surgery, his third in the past 18 months. Djokovic is now tennis' biggest star to compete in New York as he attempts to become the first men's singles player to complete the calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.
Djokovic has already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. His attempt to win the Golden Slam was ended with a semifinal loss at the Tokyo Olympics.
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