20-time Grand Slam champ Nadal ends his 2021 season due to foot injury

Rafael Nadal has ended his 2021 season because of a foot injury, and so will miss the last Grand Slam of the year – the US Open.

The injury caused the 20-time Grand Slam champion to miss the Cincinnati Masters and Canadian Open last week.

In a post on Instagram, Nadal said: “Honestly, I have been suffering a lot more than I should with my foot for a year and I need to take some time.”

“Having discussed it with the team and family, this decision has been made and I believe that it is the way forward to try to recover and recover well,” he added.

The US Open defending champion Dominic Thiem and five-time winner Roger Federer have also pulled out of this year’s event.

The US Open begins on Monday, 30 August. Federer and Nadal are tied with world number one Novak Djokovic for the all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic will look to pull clear when the tournament begins in Flushing Meadows later this month.