Toronto National Bank Open second seed Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from competition on Tuesday.
The Spaniard explained that he was inconvenienced by an injury to his left foot.
“As people know, I have had this problem for a few months,” Nadal said in a statement from Tennis Canada. I’m disappointed not to be able to play this year after all the success I’ve had in Canada. It’s a difficult situation, but I can’t help it. I have to find a way to fix this problem. At the end of the day, the most important thing for me is to enjoy playing tennis. Today, this pain prevents me from having fun and I do not believe in my chances of being able to really compete. “
The 20 Grand Slam title holder was due to enter the Queen City tournament on Wednesday, in a second round clash against South African Lloyd Harris.
Nadal will be replaced by his compatriot Feliciano Lopez, who thus obtains the status of “lucky loser”.
“We’re obviously very disappointed that Rafa has to retire due to injury,” said Toronto National Bank Open manager Karl Hale. We know our fans were eager to see him in action at the Aviva Center. However, we understand his decision and wish him a speedy recovery. We hope he can be back in Canada next year and in Toronto in 2023. ”
In his career with the National Bank Open, formerly known as the Rogers Cup, Nadal had the pleasure of winning top honors on five occasions, including the last two editions of the event.
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