Rafael Nadal's participation in the US Open is looking uncertain at this point. The Spaniard just retired from the Toronto Masters 2021 and confirmed that he won’t be playing at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, which Round of 64 starts on Monday August 16.
Nadal, 35, hasn’t had a pleasant season so far. The Majorcan suffered from physical problems in Roland Garros, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. After that, Nadal didn’t compete at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
He decided to return to the ATP tour to play in Washington for the first time in his career. However, his comeback was shorter than expected, as he lost in the second round showing discomfort. After that, he was supposed to play in Toronto but the physical problems persisted. Here, check out what's keeping Nadal out of the courts.
Why Rafael Nadal won’t be playing in the Cincinnati Masters 2021?
Nadal has been struggling with the Muller-Weiss syndrome in his foot since 2005. This is a rare degenerative disease that generates dysplasia of the scaphoid, which is one of the bones of the foot.
As Punto de Break explains, Nadal has been dealing with problems in his foot for years, and they almost make him retire. However, he has been able to keep playing using shoe insoles and having to avoid overloading his foot. However, this has generated other problems in his knees.
As the Spaniard hasn’t released any statement about his health right now, it’s uncertain how much time will he need to return to the competition. The US Open starts on August 30, with the qualys, so tennis fans have to wait to know if the Spaniard will be in New York or not.
