There was the knee of one. There is also the other’s foot. The “old men” of the world tennis circuit accumulate physical problems. After the Swiss Roger Federer, 40 years old and former world number one, who announced, on August 15, to have to undergo a third operation in the space of a year and a half on his right knee, it is Rafael Nadal who, on Friday August 20, has decided to forfeit the US Open, which begins August 30, and to draw a line at the end of the 2021 season.
The Spaniard, 35, suffers from pain in his left foot. “Honestly, I am going through a year where I have a lot more foot pain than I should”, wrote the world number four on his Twitter account.
He has only played two games since his loss at Roland Garros to Novak Djokovic, in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, in June.
Eliminated in the round of 16 at the Washington tournament in early August, he had already appeared physically diminished and had admitted having to, on the court, “To fight against an opponent and pain”. He then retired from the Masters 1000 Canada in Toronto and returned to Spain.
“Do everything to find the best possible shape”
In view of this situation, and in a “Modern tennis more and more violent for the joints”, vsAs pointed out, about the new operation of Roger Federer, a doctor working at the French Tennis Federation, it is now the question of what to do next, both for Roger Federer and for Rafael Nadal.
For the moment, neither of the two players, who have each won 20 Grand Slam tournaments (the four major tournaments at the world level, Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open in New York), has yet mentioned the prospect of final shutdown. At least in the official statements.
In the same way that the Swiss said he wanted “Get back in shape” after his operation, Rafael Nadal assures to be resolved to “Do everything to find the best possible form, continue competing with the goals that are most important to me”.
“I am convinced that I can achieve this if my foot heals and, of course, with great daily effort”, added the Spanish player, who has been regularly handicapped by this injury for more than fifteen years. “I want to understand the evolution of this injury because it is not new. She’s been there since 2005 and she’s held me back in my career all these years. I am ready to do whatever it takes to continue to be competitive. I promise to work hard to try to continue enjoying this sport for some time to come. “
