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Rafa Nadal confirms season finished due to injury

Rafael Nadal confirmed on Monday he will miss the ATP Finals in London this month and that his season is over due to injury.

Published: 5 November 2018 17:38 CET

Rafa Nadal confirms season finished due to injury

Photo: AFP

Nadal said he needed an operation on his right ankle and is also yet to recover from the abdominal problem that kept him out of the Paris Masters last week.

It means Novak Djokovic is guaranteed to end the year top of the world rankings while John Isner, the world number 10, comes into the field for the ATP Finals on Sunday.

“I am writing to you to signal the end of the season,” Nadal said. “It has been a complicated year, very good in terms of tennis when I was able to play and very bad in terms of injuries.”

The 32-year-old won a record-extending 11th French Open title in June and reached the semi-finals both at Wimbledon and the US Open.

He was forced to retire mid-way through his US Open semi-final with Juan Martin Del Potro in September due to pain in his right knee and has not been able to play a competitive match since.

“I have done everything possible to reach the end of the season in good condition, both in Paris and London, and I really wanted to play,” Nadal added.

On his ankle problem, he said: “It is true that we knew about it for a long time and from time to time it bothered me.

“Since the problem in my abdominal muscle also prevents me from playing in London, we have decided to take advantage of the moment … and avoid future problems.

“In this way I hope to be in full condition for the next season.”

Djokovic finished runner-up at the Paris Masters after losing to Karan Khachanov on Sunday but still returned to number one in the rankings for the first time since 2016.

Without Nadal, the Serb will be the clear favourite at the ATP Finals, for which the draw will be made later on Monday.

Ten years on, Nadal looks back on 'emotional' Wimbledon win over Federer

Is this the end of the road for Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer?

Is it the end of the line for Roger? Photo: Martin BUREAU / AFP

The 20-time Grand Slam winner announced on Wednesday that he would be sidelined until 2021 after his second operation in a matter of months.

Federer remains upbeat, tweeting: “I plan to take the necessary time to be 100 percent ready to play at my highest level.”

In some ways 2020 is a good season to miss after the coronavirus ravaged the tennis schedule. Writing Federer off in the past has proved dangerous.

He returned from a six-month injury lay-off to claim the Australian Open in 2017, winning his eighth Wimbledon crown later that year.

But he will be 40 in 2021 and is now heading into uncharted territory.

Despite his groaning trophy cabinet, there are two factors that will motivate Federer to keep going — the risk of losing his grip on the men's Grand Slam title record and a missing Olympics singles gold medal.

Rafael Nadal has 19 majors, just one shy of Federer's mark and Djokovic has 17.

Spain's Nadal will be fancied to draw level with Federer at the French Open, rescheduled for September, while few would bet against Djokovic winning in New York weeks earlier.

In April, Federer said he was “devastated” when Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II. Last year he fell agonisingly short at the All England Club, failing to convert two championship points on his own serve against Djokovic.

The Wimbledon grass probably remains his best chance of adding to his Grand Slam collection — he has not won the US Open since 2008 and his only title at Roland Garros came in 2009.

Even though Federer has slipped from the very pinnacle of the game, he is still a major threat to Nadal and Djokovic.

'Golden' ambitions

Last year, the world number four had a 53-10 win-loss record and he reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open in January in his only tournament this year.

Federer, who is still six ATP titles short of Jimmy Connors' all-time record of 109, has one glaring omission from his CV — the Olympic title.

The Swiss won doubles gold in Beijing in 2008 with compatriot Stan Wawrinka but lost in the singles final to Andy Murray in London four years later.

The postponed Tokyo Games will almost certainly be Federer's last opportunity to complete a career “golden” Grand Slam — he will turn 40 on the day of the closing ceremony next year.

Tennis will feel the loss of the elegant Federer keenly when he walks off the court for the last time.

Djokovic and Nadal have been the dominant forces in recent years but the Swiss remains the biggest draw and last month topped Forbes' list of the world's highest-earning athletes.

His last appearance on court was in front of nearly 52,000 fans — touted by organisers as a world record for tennis — at a charity match against Nadal in Cape Town in February.

Federer is nearly always the crowd favourite wherever he plays and has proved a perfect ambassador for the sport since he won his first Grand Slam title in 2003.

He certainly expects to be back and competitive next year.

“I will be missing my fans and the tour dearly but I will look forward to seeing everyone back on tour at the start of the 2021 season,” he tweeted.

The avalanche of support from his adoring fans showed they would miss him too, but they will have to get used to a time when he is gone for good.

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