Rafael Nadal pulled out of the U.S. Open on Wednesday, making it the third Grand Slam tournament he’s missed this season and raising more questions about his future in tennis at age 38.
Rafa’s announcement on social media was not much of a surprise. Yes, he was on the official entry list released last month for New York, but that was more of a formality than anything and did not preclude the 22-time major champion from withdrawing at any point before competition begins Aug. 26.
He posted on X, former Twitter:
Hi all, writing today to let you guys know that I have decided not to compete at this year’s US Open a place where I have amazing memories. I will miss those electric and special night sessions in NYC at Ashe, but I don’t think I would be able to give my 100% this time. Thanks to all my US Fans in particular, will miss you all and will see you another time. Best of lucks to all for the always amazing US Open! My next event will be the Laver Cup in Berlin.
Rafa is a four-time champion at the U.S. Open, taking the titles in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. But the absence this time means he will have sat out the hard-court tournament in four of the past five years; the exception was 2022, when he lost in the fourth round to Frances Tiafoe.
Source: AP
Rafa te deseo la mejor
Estás en tu derecho a elegir
Durante toda tu carrera en muchas ocasiones has jugado lesionado, con tu dolor de rodillas, de pie etc,
Ahora lo que hagas está bien hecho
Nos vemos en Laver Cup
Siempre contigo!!
Sad to hear this😭
Rafael Nadal does not need to justify his choices-he has earned the right to decide.
Regardless of the decision, there will always be critics. Anyone who has followed Rafa
knows how he has fought adversity throughout his career.
Take the time you want, Rafa. See you in Berlin👏🎾❤️
yay i shall be watching Rafa . cant wait !
Andy Murray would play even if his best prospect was to win one set. Djokovic also plays and fights with a recovering leg. Rafa only plays if he thinks he can win the tournament. It has been like this throughout his career. So many withdrawals, always with reasons like this one. Mentally or physically not 100% (but not at all heavily injured), so he does not play. Real warriors show up on one leg too.
What a thing to say about Rafa Nadal, the ultimate warrior.
His body and mind is telling him he can’t play in the gruelling US open.
Would you rather see him lose in the first round and possibly make his body worse?
The draw is packed with players who have slim chances of winning even one round. Packed with players who are physically not 100%. They go for it anyways. Nadal just doesn’t want to play anymore when his chances aren’t like they were in 2017. He thought at RG he could turn back the clock He couldn’t, as shown twice this year. It is not a life threatening risk to play the US Open. An early loss would just make the mental iniury worse. So ae now know he only wanted to go out with a last hurrah. Now that that is clearly unlikely he just doesn’t play. OK, warrior.
If Nadal says goodbye, I too will say goodbye to this forum. Injuries have spread from foot to head. When Nadal’s injury be it began at his foot, it was a physical injury. He compensates, but the one knee suffers. Then he adapts, it hurts the other knee too. We all remembered the double knee tape on him. The he fought it, shifting his weight elsewhere, then the injuries got to his wrist and back. He again served a different motion to compensate then it got to his abdomen and hip. He again fought them but now I reaches his head. When the injury reaches the head, it becomes a mental injury. The mental injury maybe the most fatal.
You should never have joined this forum Young Voter. You have never been a fan of Rafa. I assume you are a Djokovic Fan. It is always the Djokovic fans that insult Rafa and his fans. Federer fans have more class than Djokovic Fans. You can’t bear the fact that Rafa has always been and always will be more loved and admired than Djokovic, no matter how many tournaments he wins. Your egos are as fragile as his has always been. TRULY PATHETIC!
I definitely have the feeling that Rafa is close to announcing his retirement and the Laver Cup would be a perfect way to bow out. I don’t want to see him quit, but he has really struggled to come back from his hip injury over the last two years and I’m sure he finds it frustrating not to be able to compete feeling like he is in top form. I guess we’ll see what happens over the next couple of months. It’s been such an honour watching him compete over all these years and tennis will definitely not be the same whenever he decides to leave.
Are we going to see a Laver Cup finale, like Roger’s? All eras have to end, but it’s sad.