Rafael Nadal always tries, but he can not compete

Rafael Nadal will not play for the rest of the season, struggling with a foot injury and skipping the entire post-US Open action for the third time in a career. Dealing with foot pain since the Roland Garros semi-final, the 20-time Major winner decided to take some rest and make a fresh start in 2022, unable to play nowhere near his best at the moment. Rafa could not train for three weeks after the Roland Garros defeat to Novak Djokovic, skipping Wimbledon and the Olympic Games and trying to make a comeback in Washington at the beginning of August. Testing his foot to the limits against Jack Sock and Lloyd Harris, Rafa stayed on the court for five hours during his Citi Open debut and realized that the pain in just too big to risk anything. Despite practicing there, the Spaniard withdrew from Toronto and opted to skip the rest of the season and come back stronger in 2022. Mats Wilander reminded that Rafa still has the fighting spirit, embracing many comebacks and giving his best to extend his career. Nadal tried the same in Washington, but it was evident that he can not bring his A-game at the moment.

Rafael Nadal will skip the rest of the season due to an ongoing foot injury.

"When it comes to Rafa, we are getting used to him not being able to play. He is always trying; he is always ready. Obviously, he went to Washington to play a couple of matches and then to Canada and tried to practice, which did not work. He's trying; it's just that he can not do it. He plays less and less every year, and obviously, he is getting older and his body is taking a beating. As long as Rafa shows that he wants to compete and is physically trying, he works hard whenever he can to even consider playing. I'm very sad and worried, but I think he will make comebacks until the day when he can not do that anymore. His will is still there. You can not rule out Nadal winning Roland Garros again in the future, considering his record in Paris. The same goes for Roger Federer at Wimbledon; you should not rule them out, but they are both getting older, and it becomes tougher to win Major titles," Mats Wilander said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3z8aHGj