Rafa Nadal to take rest of year off due to old injury flare-up

TOP Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has announced he will be taking the rest of 2021 off in order to recover fully from an injury that has been 'playing up' for more than a year.

The Mallorca-born ace had to pull out of the Tokyo Olympics due to a foot problem – the second Games he has missed due to injuries, the last being London 2012 – has scratched from the US Open, and had to retire from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 two weeks ago. 

He says the foot problem is 'not a new injury', but a 'problem' he has had since 2005 – just as his career at the sharp end of tennis was beginning to take off – and which is now flaring up again.

Now aged 35 – fairly elderly for a player at his level – Nadal is conscious that he cannot push himself beyond his limits if he wants to stay on the circuit.

Addressing fans on social media, Rafa announced he had decided to 'call time on the 2021 season'.

“Quite honestly, I've been suffering much more than I should have been with my foot for a year, and I need to take some time out,” he writes.

“After having talked about it with the team and my family, we've taken this decision and I think it's the right path to take in order to try to recover, and recover properly.

“It's been a year in which I've missed things that I really care about – like Wimbledon, like the Olympics, like the forthcoming US Open, like many other events that are also important to me – and, seeing as this last year I've not been able to train and prepare properly to compete in the way I truly like to, in the end, I've come to the conclusion that what I need is time off to recover.

“[Time off to] change a string of things, to try to understand how my foot has progressed in recent times...it's not a new injury, it's an injury I've had since 2005, and which has not prevented me from developing my sporting career all these years.

“It is true, though, that things have not been going the way they should for me for a while, the way we'd all like them to go, and now is the moment to make decisions, seek out a type of treatment that's a little bit different to try to find a solution to this problem or, at least, to improve it, so I can still have choices over the next few years.

“I'm most optimistic and prepared to do whatever needs to be done to get back the best possible form, to carry on competing for the things that really motivate me and have done all these years.

“I'm convinced that, with the recovery of my food and, evidently, major daily efforts, I'll be able to achieve this. I'm going to work as hard as I can so that this is the case.

“Thanks, all of you, in advance, for all your support, understanding, and shows of affection, all of which are really important – and even more so during difficult times like these.

“I promise you all that what I'm going to do is work really hard to try to carry on enjoying this sport for some time to come.

“Big hugs for all of you.”