Rafael Nadal withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday, his third Grand Slam withdrawal this season and raising further questions about the 38-year-old’s future in tennis.
Nadal wrote on social media that he would miss “those exciting and special evening sessions” at Arthur Ashe Stadium but “I don’t think I’ll be able to give 100% this time.”
He added that his next tournament will be the Laver Cup in Berlin from September 20-22. Nadal will play doubles with Roger Federer at the 2022 tournament, in what will be Federer’s final match before retirement.
Nadal’s announcement It wasn’t that surprising.
Indeed, he was on the official entry list for New York announced last month, but that was merely a formality and did not prohibit the 22-time major champion from withdrawing at any time before the tournament starts on Aug. 26.
Additionally, Nadal will represent Spain at the 2024 Olympics, breaking the news a week ago after losing in the quarterfinals in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.
Before that, he lost in the second round of the men’s singles to rival Novak Djokovic, who won the men’s gold medal in Paris.
When asked about playing in the U.S. Open at the time, Nadal paused for a moment before answering:
“It doesn’t seem to be the case, but I will let you know soon,” he said. “Right now, I can’t give you a definite answer. It will take time, but it seems difficult for me.”
Nadal hasn’t made any announcements about a possible retirement, but given his age and recent injury history (hip surgery in 2023, abdominal issues in 2024 that limited his playing time the past two seasons), it’s probably fair to say he probably doesn’t have much left in him.
He is a four-time U.S. Open champion, winning titles in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019.
But this withdrawal means he has missed hard-court tournaments in four of the past five years, the only exception being 2022, when he lost in the fourth round to Francis Tiafoe.
In 2023, Nadal injured his hip during the Australian Open in January, forcing him to miss the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
This year, he did not play in the Australian Open after straining a muscle near his lower back during a warm-up event.
He then played at the French Open in May, but lost in the first round to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.
Nadal opted to miss Wimbledon last month so as not to have to manage the transition from the clay of Roland Garros to the grass courts of the All England Club before returning to clay at the Olympics.
Nadal has won the French Open a record 14 times, as well as Wimbledon and the Australian Open twice each.
His most recent two Grand Slam titles, won in Melbourne in January 2022 and Paris in June, took him past Federer to a then-male record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
Federer announced his retirement at the end of the 2022 season at age 41. Since then, both Federer and Nadal have been overtaken in Grand Slam titles by Djokovic, who reached 24 by winning last year’s U.S. Open.
The United States Tennis Association announced that Nadal’s spot in the tournament will be taken by American Macky McDonald, ranked 93rd in the world. McDonald is the highest-ranked player not yet in the tournament. McDonald beat Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open.
The draw to determine the U.S. Open pairings is scheduled for August 22nd.
