Rafael Nadal pulled out of the National Bank Open on Tuesday due to the left foot injury that has persistently troubled him recently.
“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,” said Rafa.
“I have had this issue for a couple of months, as people know. Of course, it is not a happy situation after all the success that I 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 need to go back and try to find a way to be better again. At the end of the day, for me the most important thing is enjoy playing tennis. Today, with this pain, I am not able to enjoy, and I really don’t believe that I have chances to fight for the things that I really need to fight.”
I think he will not this year. Remember what i say now: he will never win any major. The days when he bought major trophys are gone. He better retire now that to become like roger. I think roger wants to remember him like a old sily man… Rafa is not suposed to play to 35. I want to remember the ultimate worrior rafa and not old sily rafa… Let’s face that joker will be the goat.. I am very sad but i am realistic. I want that rafa will negate my afirmations… So i am happy to be contemporane with him but now is time to retire…
I don’t know whats going on here today…. Is there a full moon out?
You call yourself a Rafa fan? You have a right to your opinion but watch how you say it.. “Rafa is not supposed to play to 35” Says who??? You? And then… for you to call him “Old silly Rafa” … Shame on you!!! That is a horrible description and if that is what you think of him…then goodbye…
Also…. I will NEVER call Djokovic the goat… I don’t care what his numbers are… If you ask anyone today, who is the GOAT, it will probably lean in Roger Federer’s direction… He is a beloved tennis player and Rafa is right there with him….
Joker … he’s a talented guy but he has alot of issues….He’s not worthy of being called the Goat.
And as far as Rafa retiring…. I honestly believe he still has the thirst for the game…. He’s not retiring yet.
and he doesn’t need to, . but when his body tells him it’s over. he will walk away with his head held high…and NOBODY will be calling him ” Old silly Rafa” ….
You need to show him a little respect….
I can’t even describe how I feel at this moment.. Rafa headed home where his family awaited …his coach ….his physicians…. In as much as we all know he wants so much to play the OPEN, my gut tells me this foot injury is not going away and until it gets completely healed or becomes manageable we will not be seeing Rafa on a tennis court and that means no US OPEN…. I could be wrong and hope for a miracle but hardcourt has had it’s negative effect on Rafa in the past and in my opinion, he needs to be completely healthy to begin his journey on this surface…
My countdown is over and although I will be attending the OPEN..it will not be the same.. not even close….
I know it sounds like I’m jumping the gun on this….but Rafa wants to extend his career for as long as possible and I believe he cannot risk injuring his foot any further than it is already injured…. He needs to get well….
Wishing Rafa a medical path for this injury that will heal him and bring him back to 100% so we all can cheer him on once again and reap the fantastic feeling we all get when he plays with confidence and passion and makes those shots that only Rafael can make!!!
That’s all that I want for him and for us…..
I’m sorry but I must disagree with J. Beer’s two comments below. This is a website dedicated to Rafa’s fans. No Rafa fan would ever insult him by claiming that “the foot is between his ears”. How rude and so disrespectful!
Unlike J.Beer, I believe that Rafa’s foot injury is genuine. In fact, it may well have contributed to his loss in the French Open Final. (He did start strongly, winning the first set 6-3.) Rafa would never say that of course. He has too much respect for Djokovic to say anything that might appear to undermine his achievement.
Rafa has never shied away from tough competition, even when he has struggled with confidence. He is and always has been a warrior who fights hard for every point until the end of every match he plays. We all know that hard courts take their toll on players physically. I firmly believe that the foot injury must be such that Rafa believes that playing in Toronto would have made it worse. At 35 he cannot risk that.
Unfortunately, I fear that Rafa will not now play the US Open. Rafa likes to be fully prepared for every Major and cannot do that if he is not fully fit and able to play at least one of the big lead-up tournaments. Such a pity for him. I am sure that all GENUINE Rafa fans on this site wish him well.
Ginagigii, I agree with you totally. The comments made by J. Beer are nasty and undermine Rafa’s integrity. For me and other genuine Rafa’ fans, our champ’s courage, tenacity, humility and honesty are NEVER in doubt.
J Beer, take note. There is no place for trolls and their comments on this website!
ah for gods sake will you stop treating him like a baby. There should be room on this website for critism that is not disrespectful stop being so sensitive. I critize nadal for playing way too much clay tournaments that is taking a tool on his body.
Am i being disrespectful for saying that come on please
I must take issue with your comment below Marijnt, as I have with some of your previous comments on this site. Constructive criticism and observations are one thing, insults are quite another. Neither you nor J. Beer seem to have grasped that.
If ‘so-called’ Rafa fans don’t have the vocabulary to express their opinions of Rafa’s decisions or play without insulting him or offending other fans on this site in the process, they should refrain from commenting altogether.
Insults are a very lazy form of criticism. To me (and I suspect many others on this site), “[Rafa’s] foot is between his ears” is a typical example of just that. Ironically, it is those who resort to insulting Rafa who are the babies here! It is childish behaviour and totally unwarranted.
Treating Rafa and Rafa’s fans with respect should be a ‘given’ on the rafaelnadalfans website.
Listen, Nadal once was a mentally very strong player. He is much weaker in that regard since 2014. He repeatedly openly spoke about it, he referred to his whole 2015 season as being bothered by “the nerves”. What happened this 2021 season? The nerves cost him the AO QF, which everyone here will agree was a classic choke.
The clay season was wobly up to RG. The Rome win was good, but even the Djoker said he wasn’t too impressed. At RG the nerves were clearly there again and even leading 5-0 in set 1 of the SF you could see that by now all too well known look of insecurity on Nadal’s face. He may very well have a foot injury too, but I am convinced that his biggest injury, again, is mentally. It is an injury that disappears with victories. My case is quite clear and not made up of thin air. And yes, opinions can be expressed. I know many of you believe in totalitarian regimes such as communism but you may find out by reading real history that you are better served by defending the right of anyone to express themselves, regardless whether you like that opinion or not.
Rafa, of course you are disappointed, we are as well. We are heartbroken that you are dealing with an injury. However, the number one thing is your health. No matter how long it takes, we have faith that you will recover. Don’t rush back! We will miss watching you play…goes without saying. Prayers for a healthy recovery. Notice, I didn’t say speedy recovery….you must take time to heal.
Dear Rafa. What sad news for you as you were so happy & enthusiastic about playing in Toronto. All I wish for you now is to get that foot fully fit for future matches. I know this injury is not a recent development, it could have cost you your tennis career as a youngster. Rafa just rely on your team and should it mean no tennis for rest season, you will accept it. Your health is wealth, we miss you already but will love to have you back when fully recovered. Get well my Champion . Vamos 🇪🇸☘🇪🇸☘
Really sorry for it. Take rest champ. I think we will see Rafa back in Australia. I don’t believe Rafa will play in NY and the indoors-season this year.
Nadal still mentally not recovered from the RG loss. He will play again in January.
Bad news sad news……2 months past the FO and still being bothered by this injury is bad news.
Hell have barely any match practice before the USO, that too assuming he plays Cincy and goes deep.
Im beginning to have doubts over his USO participation as well.
Doesnt matter, recover fully and the return, even a good showing in Paris and WTF could be the silver lining (Assuming he qualifies for WTF).
Of course he won’t play Cincy. He’s going back to Mallorca! The US Open is totally off the table. The foot is between his ears.
J beer u r something that I can’t mention in this group, pls just leave our Rada alone and join the joker group u r so welcome there
You will be back to playing your best soon!! Good decision to not play with a problem foot !! Breaks my heart as I so enjoy watching you play!
Devastated for Rafa who is not ready to compete in Toronto. It’s a huge cause of concern that his foot causing problems since June.
He has had so many challenges with injury. It has to be difficult to start positive but he is brave snd had a great team and family to support him.
Wishing Rafa a miracle cure and that we will see in able to play in Flushing Meadows.🇪🇸🍀The light has dimmed in Toronto
The tournament will be lacklustre without your participation, Rafael Nadal. We wish you the best of luck with your recovery. See you back on court soon.
Take care of yourself, Rafa. We love YOU. Not just when you play. All the time. God bless you.
Rotten luck! Wishing Rafa all the very best for a full recovery. Hope to see him back soon.
Really sad about this. Hope Rafa’s doctor can come up with a medical miracle.
I am so sorry for you rafa 😢hope your foot gets better soon all my love and best wishes for a speedy recovery vamos rafa
So very sorry Rafa, get well soon x
I’m.so sorry that you have pain!! Take good care. Rest.
Rafa get well and rest for the next tournament we are going to miss you play all the best fans for ever 🎾🇺🇸❤️💪😘
Gutted for him. After RG I wrote an essay-length entry in my tennis notes about Rafa’s future as a top player. I concluded that he had to do well in the summer HC season, irrespective of the slam record. I think I’m quite a realistic fan, but this is worse than I imagined.
As a result of Rafa’s withdrawal, Feli Lopez gets a lucky loser spot in the draw and will play Harris tomorrow.
Get well soon, Rafa!❤️
It just came up on my ATP app. Worrying news, especially with the US Open so close 🙁 .