“At the end of the day, what is important for me is to have fun playing tennis, but with this pain it is not possible”: Rafael Nadal
Follow Us
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal opted to withdraw from the Wimbledon Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan due to a foot injury he sustained during the French Open. He made his comeback last week at the Washington Citi’s Open after having last played in the semi-finals at the French Open in Paris, where he lost against, World number 1, Novak Djokovic in a thrilling four set match.
In Washington, Nadal eased into his first hard court tournament since February. However, his run was cut short after losing in the round of 16 against number 16 seed, Lloyd Harris in three sets, 4-6, 6-1, 4-6. At the end of the match, both players had broken each other’s serves twice and Nadal had won more points in total however, Harris was able to take the win.
Nadal has lifted the National Bank Open trophy five times, twice in Toronto and three time in Montreal as the event alternates host cities every year. In 2018 and 2019, Nadal won back to back titles in each city and thus, completed the Montreal-Toronto double. The Canadian Open is Nadal’s most successful hard court ATP Masters 1000 event. He has made 13 appearances here and has a 38-8 record including a perfect 5-0 win record in the finals. This year round in Canada, Nadal is seeded number 2 and thus, got a bye in the round of 64. In the round of 32, Nadal was up against Lloyd Harris, however, one day before his opening match, the 20 time Grand Slam Champion withdrew from the tournament, ending his winning streak and unable to defend his title.
“Of course, it is not a happy situation after all the successes that I had here in Canada”: Rafael Nadal
“I have had this issue with my foot for a couple of months, as everyone knows. Of course, it is not a happy or easy situation to live with after all the success I have had here in Canada, not being able to play this year after missing a year. It’s a tough one, but that’s how it is today. I really wanted to play here a lot, but now is the moment to make a decision, and this is unfortunately the decision that I have taken. At the end of the day, what is important for me is to have fun playing tennis, but with this pain, that is not possible. We will probably know more in the coming days” said the world number 3, Nadal.
National Bank Open posted a video on their twitter handle of Nadal saying a message for his fans. They captioned the post, “A message from Rafael Nadal himself. Wishing you a speedy recovery champ”.
“Hi Toronto, I am very sorry that I will not be able to play this year. My foot is not ready for it. I feel bad but I tried hard and as you know how much I love this event, great memories from all these years and I really hope to be back in 2 years in Toronto. Hope to see you soon, bye” said Nadal in the video.
Also read: ‘Whether I can play or not till 40 like Roger will depend on my physical shape’: Rafael Nadal
Stay Updated!
Ananya Agarwal
(107 Articles Published)