The hangover from the Rogers Cup in Canada has had an impact on the Western and Southern Open with a duo of top names pulling out.
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the tournament due to fatigue just hours after winning the Montreal title. The Spaniard crushed Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to defend an ATP hard court title for the first time in his career at the age of 33. It is the second year in a row that Nadal has opted to skip the Masters event in order to rest his body ahead of the US Open, which will get underway later this month.
“World number two Rafael Nadal, our 2013 champion, has withdrawn from #CincyTennis citing fatigue,” read a tweet from the tournament account.
Besides the fatigue, Nadal has stated that he is currently free from injury with no major issues affecting him. The world No.2 has been prone to injury throughout his career with numerous issues, including his knees and abdomen.
“I have been healthy for a while.” He said. “Since Madrid I think I have been improving in all terms, especially the body.”
“The body is feeling better. That makes me play better, too, because my mind is focused on tennis, not thinking about if I can do this thing or another thing.”
Another high-profile absence from Cincinnati will be Canadian rising star Bianca Andreescu, who won the women’s title at the Rogers Cup. Becoming the first Canadian to do so since 1969. The 19-year-old has only been able to play in two tournaments since March due to a lingering shoulder injury. However, she has risen to a ranking high of 14th in the world on Monday following her latest triumph.
“I’ve never been there, so I’m really disappointed to withdraw from the tournament,” said Andreescu.
“I really have to listen to my body right now, this last week has not been easy on it,” she added.
Andreescu clinched her latest title at the expense of Serena Williams, who retired after four games played in the final due to an upper back injury. Making it only the second time the American has been forced to retire during a WTA final in her career. The first was back in 2000 against Martina Hingis at the Rogers Cup.
Unlike Nadal and Andreescu, there remains hope that Williams could be in action this week. It is understood that the problem she has been affected by is back spasms, which is more of a short-term issue.
“The most frustrating part is that I’ve had these awful spasms a lot in my career, actually. And they’re incredibly painful, but it goes away after, like, 24, 36, maybe 48 hours, and like clockwork.“ Said Williams, who will fly to Cincinnati.
The Western and Southern Open is the last big tournament to take place prior to the US Open. It is categorized as a Masters 1000 event for the men and as a Primer Five event for the women.