The US Open will be missing some serious star power this year after four-time champion Rafael Nadal announced on Friday that he would be withdrawing from the year's final Grand Slam because of a foot injury.
Nadal joins Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem in the list of notable absentees for this year's US Open, opening the door for Novak Djokovic to make history and set the all-time Grand Slam record at Flushing Meadows next month.
Nadal to miss the rest of 2021 season due to foot injury
Nadal took to social media to announce the shocking news, saying that he has been suffering from a foot injury the entire year, forcing him to miss several key events like the Wimbledon Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.
Hear the latest from Rafa as he ends his 2021 season 👇
(via @RafaelNadal) pic.twitter.com/tKLn6RQ89y— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 20, 2021
He did make a return to the ATP Tour in the Citi Open in Washington but was eliminated in the round of 16. Nadal still made the trip to Toronto for the Rogers Cup but decided, in the end, to withdraw from the Masters 1000 event.
Nadal said that he took a couple of days after returning from Toronto to think about his injury situation. After consulting with his family, team, and doctors, Nadal knew that he had to withdraw from the US Open and end his 2021 season abruptly, saying, "the foot is not the proper way today."
Nadal made sure to shut down the retirement rumors in his video statement, saying that he is confident that he will recover 100 percent and that he will be able to "fight again for the most important things." Nadal admitted that the injury is nothing new, and it is the same foot problem that has bothered him since 2005.
Related Article: Dominic Thiem To Miss US Open and Rest of 2021 Season After Right Wrist Injury
Nadal and Federer's hold on Grand Slam record under threat from Novak Djokovic
Doctors weren't confident about Nadal's future then, but the Spaniard managed to silence the doubters and his critics, racking up a whopping 20 Grand Slam titles during his long and illustrious career.
That record is under threat, though, from world no. 1 Novak Djokovic, whose path to the US Open title is getting easier with the spate of big-name withdrawals. Djokovic is currently tied with Federer and Nadal for the most Grand Slam wins, with the Big Three having 20 major titles apiece.
Djokovic might have suffered a gut-wrenching loss in the Tokyo Olympics to deny himself the rare Olympic Slam, but the Serbian star still has a shot of achieving the Calendar Slam with a win in the US Open. This year, Djokovic has been simply unstoppable, winning the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon Championships to catch Federer and Nadal in the GOAT race.
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