London: Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal called time Friday on his 2016 season stating that he needed to fully recover from the left wrist injury he suffered midway through the year. The Spaniard said he would play no more tournaments and would instead begin ‘preparing intensively’ for the 2017 season.
The 30-year-old left hander was forced to pull out of this year’s French Open before his third round match, ending his pursuit of a record-extending 10th Roland Garros title, and also missed Wimbledon because of the injury. Since then he has never been fit, though he won the Olympic men’s doubles gold.
“It is no secret that I arrived to the Olympic Games short of preparation and not fully recovered, but the goal was to compete and win a medal for Spain,” Nadal said.
“This forced recovery has caused me pain since then and now I am forced to stop this season. Now it is time to rest and start preparing intensively the 2017 season,” he added.
Nadal, currently ranked sixth, had been due to play in Basel and Paris and was on course to qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals which features the top eight in the rankings.
Reuters
