“Hello everybody. I want to inform you that unfortunately I will have to close the 2021 season. Honestly, I've been suffering a lot more than I should with my foot for a year and I need some time. After having discussed with the team and family, this decision was taken and I believe it is the way forward to try to recover well”, the number four in the ATP hierarchy said, on the social network Instagram.
The 35-year-old Mallorcan player, holder of 20 'Grand Slam' titles, confessed that the year 2021 was not easy for him after missing the Wimbledon tournament and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. “It's a year that I lost things that are very important to me, like Wimbledon, like the Olympic Games, like the US Open and many other events that are also important to me, since last year I didn't have the ability to train , prepare and compete in the way I really like, because in the end I come to the conclusion that what I need is time to recover”, he justified.
Nadal adds that this injury "is not new" and that it has been with him since 2005, but that, even so, "has not stopped him from developing his sporting career over several years". “I'm with the greatest enthusiasm and willingness to do whatever it takes to recover in the best possible shape, to continue to compete for the things that really motivate me and the things I've been doing all these years. I am convinced that with foot recovery and obviously a very important daily effort, I can do it. I will work as hard as I can to make that happen”, he concluded.