Rafael Nadal withdraws from Montreal and follows Novak Djokovic

05/08/2022 14:59

A five-time Canada Masters winner, Rafael Nadal, will not compete at the upcoming Masters 1000 event. A two-time defending champion is back on the practice court after experiencing an injury at Wimbledon. Still, he felt slightly discomfort again and decided to skip Montreal and not risk anything. Nadal has been a player to beat this year, winning 35 out of 38 matches and leading the ATP Race ahead of Carlos Alcaraz. Rafa claimed the season's opening two Major titles for the first time in a career to leave Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic behind. Nadal celebrated the 22nd Major crown at Roland Garros, toppling Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final and beating Casper Ruud in the title clash. After a well-deserved rest, the Spaniard headed to Wimbledon and reached the third straight All England Club semi-final. It came after an epic victory over Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final, and Nadal had to withdraw ahead of the semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal injury. After taking a few days off, Rafa returned to the practice court at home in Mallorca and worked on his baseline game. He looked good in the practice court, but the main issue was his serve following that injury. Nadal started to practice it a few days ago, and his body did not react well. Rafael Nadal withdrew from Montreal. He will take more time off the court and work on his game ahead of Cincinnati and the US Open. Nadal is a five-time Canada Open champion, leading the charts since 1990 and winning back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. Rafa has played eight tournaments in 2022, experiencing a rib injury in Indian Wells and staying away from the court until May. After not playing at his best in Madrid and Rome, Rafa raised his level and conquered his 14th Roland Garros crown. Nadal had to leave Wimbledon without giving Nick Kyrgios a proper fight. He will make sure to recover 100% before competing again. "From the vacation days and my subsequent return to training, everything has gone well. Four days ago, I started training the service, and yesterday, after the training, I had a little discomfort that was still there today. We have decided not to travel to Montreal and continue the training sessions without forcing anything. I sincerely thank the tournament director, Eugene, and his entire team for the understanding and support they have always shown me. Today was no exception," Rafael Nadal said.