Rafael Nadal is the latest player to call time on his 2021 ATP season including the US Open as he looks to recover fully from a foot injury.
Nadal has struggled for some time with this injury most notably in Washington and he had to withdraw from both Toronto and Cincinnati with the former on the day of his first match.
The signs pointed towards a US Open withdrawal with Nadal seeing a specialist and entering into a golf championship back home shortly before.
Now it has been confirmed by the Spaniard that like Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem, he will not be back in 2021 season.
He released a lengthy statement which is below in part on social media about his decision.
"Hello everyone, I wanted to inform you that unfortunately I have to end the 2021 season. Honestly, I've been suffering a lot more than I should with my foot for a year and I need to take some time," said Nadal translated from his social media.
"After having discussed it with the team and family, this decision has been made and I think it is the way forward to try to recover and recover well.
"It's a year that I've missed things that matter a lot to me, like Wimbledon, like the Olympics. how the US Open is going to be now, like many other events that are also important to me and in view of the fact that during this last year I have not had the ability to train and prepare and compete in the way that I really like do it.
"In the end, I come to the conclusion that what I need is time to recover, change a series of things. It is not a new injury, it is an injury that I have had since 2005 and it has prevented me from developing my career during all these years."
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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