Former world No.1 Rafael Nadal has officially ended his season after revealing that he will have an operation conducted on his ankle.
The 32-year-old hasn’t played a competitive match since the semi-finals of the US Open. Where he withdrew from the tournament due to a knee injury. Nadal was set to play at last week’s Paris Masters, but pulled out of the tournament due to an abdominal injury. Casting doubts on his presence at the ATP Finals. The issue continues to bother the 11-time French Open champion, who will also under undergo a procedure on his ankle on Monday. The operation will remove a piece of cartilage or bone from the ankle, which has been causing Nadal discomfort.
“It has been a complicated year; very good when I have been fit but difficult with injuries,” Nadal said in a statement.
“I have done everything possible to get to the end of the season in good condition. I really wanted to play in both Paris and London.
“Unfortunately, I had abdominal problem in Paris last week and also required an operation on an ankle injury.
“The ankle injury has bothered me for some time but I have managed the pain. However, since the abdominal problem has prevented me from playing in London, we decided to operate on my ankle.
“This way I hope to be in top condition for next season. Thank you all for the support.”
According to El Espanol, Nadal underwent surgery after travelling to Barcelona to consult with Dr Ángel Ruiz Cotorro. It is unclear as to how long the recovery time is following the procedure.
“Rafael Nadal presents an intra articulate free body bone on his right ankle. An arthroscopy will be practiced to remove it and the ankle will be able to be in perfect condition for the beginning of next season.” Dr Cotorro said in a statement.
Despite his success, Nadal has endured an injury-stricken season. In total he has only been able to play in nine tournaments and withdrew from two of them (Australian and US Open). Nevertheless, a solid clay season where he claimed four titles and his triumph at the Canadian Masters kept him at the top of the ATP rankings for the majority of 2018. He was dethroned from the top by Novak Djokovic on Monday. Overall, he has won 45 out of 49 matches played on the tour.
Rafael Nadal on hard courts in 2018
Brisbane – withdrew
Australian – retired
Acapulco – withdrew
Indian Wells – withdrew
Miami – withdrew
Toronto – 🏆
Cincinnati – withdrew
US Open – retired
Beijing – withdrew
Shanghai – withdrew
Paris – withdrew
London – withdrew
Saudi exo – ?— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) 5 November 2018
Nadal’s announcement comes on the day of the draw for the ATP World Tour Finals. He will be replaced by John Isner, who will be making his debut in the tournament. It is the third time the Spaniard has missed the event since 2014. He also withdrew midway through last year’s event due to a knee problem.
Last week Juan Martin del Potro also pulled out of the season-ending tournament. The Argentine sustained a right knee injury during the Shanghai Masters last month and has been replaced by Kei Nishikori.
