Top coach opens up on Rafael Nadal's injury

The suspicion that Rafael Nadal would not have played in the US Open has turned into reality. Not only will the Spanish champion miss the New York Grand Slam for the second time in a row (he was also absent in 2020), but he will not return to the field before the start of 2022. The former world number 1 has never looked at the top of the form this season, not even during the beloved parenthesis on clay. After being eliminated in the semifinals at Roland Garros, the Majorcan decided to take two months off to recover from his foot injury by giving up Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. The return of the 35-year-old from Manacor took place in Washington, where he succumbed to Lloyd Harris and pain in the third round. There Nadal realized that the foot problem was more serious than expected, so much so that he announced the forfeit in both Toronto and Cincinnati. Rafa's 2021 therefore goes to the archive with two trophies raised, Barcelona and Rome, having had to save match points along the way in both cases.

Carlos Moya opens up on Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal's current coach, Carlos Moyà, appeared this past morning at the Onda Cero Transistor to talk about the decision made by his pupil not to play any more in 2021: "It has been a while when Nadal is not well at all. It is true that on clay these discomforts are minimal, but on hard courts it is worse. They are already severe pain. It was something that was known and that could happen and unfortunately we will not see Nadal again for the remainder of the year. After talking with some experts told us that it was best to stop, rest your foot and refresh your head and ideas to get to 2022 in the best possible way." Former World No. 1, Rafael Nadal fell victim to injury yet again, which saw him retire from the remaining 2021 season. Undoubtedly, fans who were looking forward to his comeback are devastated. His departure would also mean a significant loss of points, resulting in a drop in the ATP rankings. This would mean Nadal will not compete at the year-end classic Nitto ATP Finals, opening the door for a few others. The ATP Finals Turin is the year-end climax to the ATP tour. The prestigious event takes place in iconic locations every year, with Turin being its host this season. What makes this event so special is its star-studded lineup. Only the top 8 athletes in the official ATP ranking qualify for the tournament, battling it out to be crowned the best of the best.

 

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3B3HCfK