Rafael Nadal announced on Friday that he is ending his 2021 season because of a foot injury that has troubled him since his defeat in the semi-finals at the French Open in June and forced him to skip Wimbledon and Olympics.

“I wanted to let you know that unfortunately I have to end the season 2021. Honestly I’ve been suffering a lot more than I should with my foot and I need to take some time. Having talked to the team and family this decision has been made and I think it’s the way to go to try to recover and recover well,” Nadal said in his statement.

The Spaniard shared this update in a video posted on social media as well as a statement, saying he has been suffering a lot more than he should and needed time to recover.

Following his defeat to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, Nadal skipped Wimbledon and the Olympics before making a return to the courts in Washington earlier this month. He beat Jack Sock but then slipped to a three-set defeat at the hands of South Africa’s Lloyd Harris, after which the 35-year-old said “the foot was better”.

However, he then pulled out of the event in Toronto saying it was “not a happy situation” and is missing from the current tournament in Cincinatti, the traditional curtain-raiser for the US Open which starts on August 30.

The 35-year-old is the latest top player to miss out on the US Open later this month due to injury, joining defending champion Dominic Thiem, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in the men’s draw.

Hello everyone: 

I wanted to let you know that unfortunately I have to end the season 2021.

Honestly I’ve been suffering a lot more than I should with my foot and I need to take some time. Having talked to the team and family this decision has been made and I think it’s the way to go to try to recover and recover well.It is a year that I have missed things that matter very much to me, like Wimbledon, as the Olympics are, as it will now be the US Open, like many other events that are also important to me and in view of that during the latter year I have not had the ability to be able to train and prepare and compete in the way I really like to do it because I finally come to the conclusion that what I need is a time to recover.

Changing a series of things trying to understand what has been the evolution of the foot of these recent times is not a new injury is an injury I have since 2005 and has not prevented me from being able to develop my sports career during all of these years. If it’s true that I have a season that things don’t go as they should, as we all like, and it’s time to make decisions, seek a different kind of treatment to find a solution to this problem or at least improve to be able to continue having options for the next few years.

I’m with the maximum illusion and predisposition to do whatever it takes to recover the best way possible, to continue competing for the things that really motivate me and the things that you’ve done all these years. I am convinced that with foot recovery and evidently a very important daily effort as this can be achieved. 

I will work as long as I can to make it so.T hank you in advance for all the support, understanding and all your affection that are very important and more in complicated times like these. I promise I’ll do is work hard to try to keep enjoying this sport for a while longer.

A big hug to all

— (Translated from his Facebook post)

With AFP Inputs