Rafael Nadal on Friday announced he will miss the rest of the 2021 season including this month's US Open due to a left foot injury that has been troubling him for a year.
Last week, the world number 4 Spaniard had already withdrawn from the Western and Southern Open after pulling out of Rogers Cup in Toronto. Nadal's left foot injury forced him to miss Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics too.
"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. 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," Nadal said in a video posted on his Instagram.
"It's a year that I've missed things that matter a lot to me, like Wimbledon, like the Olympics, how the United States 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, try to understand what has been the evolution of their feet in recent times. It is not a new injury, it is an injury that I have had since 2005 and it had not prevented me from developing my sports career during all these years."
"I am with the maximum enthusiasm and predisposition to do whatever it takes to recover the best possible form, to keep competing for the things that really motivate me and the things that I've done all these years. I am convinced that with the recovery of the foot and obviously a very important daily effort, this can be achieved. I will work as hard as I can to make it happen."
"Thank you in advance for all the support, understanding and all your expressions of affection that are very important and more in difficult times like these. I promise you what I am going to do is work hard to try to continue enjoying this sport for a while longer. A big hug to all."
The legendary southpaw returned at the Citi Open in Washington in August, where he battled through his opening match against Jack Sock in a final-set tie-break before losing against South African Lloyd Harris in three sets in the third round.
( With inputs from ANI )
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