Rafael Nadal has pulled out from the ATP Toronto Masters. Along with him, many players like World No. 1 Novak Djokovic have withdrawn themselves from the traditional hard-court warm-up events such as Toronto, Cincinnati, which usually take place before the US Open starts.
The Spanish world number three pulled out before his opening match against 50th ranked South African, Lloyd Harris, who defeated him at the Washington Open too.
A message from @RafaelNadal himself.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, champ. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/H77L3wWHc8
— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 10, 2021
The 20 time Grand Slam champion withdrew himself from the ongoing Toronto Masters, due to his persistent left foot injury. This injury kept Nadal out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics this year and played a role in his shock third-round exit at the Washington Open last week.
He has stated that he has been having this issue for a couple of months. He will go back to Mallorca to be better again and it was important for him to enjoy playing tennis, which he is not due to the injury.
The 35-year-old tennis superstar was disappointed that he will not be playing in this tournament, which he has won five times.
He aggravated his foot injury last week when he won the second-round match at Washington against Jack Sock. After his match with Lloyd last week, Nadal said he felt much better but on Tuesday, he stated that the injury has hindered him too much to play in Toronto.
This injury will also likely lead to Nadal withdrawing from the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati. Nadal is no stranger to pain, as he has faced knee problems throughout his career. According to officials in Toronto, he will be replaced by fellow Spaniard, Feliciano Lopez
