Rafael Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup due to ‘personal reasons’
As Rafa Nadal’s Laver Cup appearance has been called off, his coach has confirmed the “personal reasons” behind his withdrawal from the tournament.
Nadal pulled out of the tournament ahead of last year’s edition due to a “personal reason”. The withdrawal was confirmed early after this year’s edition which started on May 4 and will end on June 2.
Nadal had been due to play five matches at Laver Cup, including against Sam Querrey, who was his last opponent in the 2013 edition. The event is his second appearance, having missed the 2013 event due to a shoulder injury.
Speaking to the media on May 4, Nadal said, “I had a hip problem last year but I think it doesn’t matter, and my knee is fine. If I have two hip problems this year I don’t think it will be a problem.”
The former world no.1 has been struggling with hip problems for the past few months, with the condition having affected his 2013 match against Sam Querrey in March. The former US Davis Cup captain had returned to training with his team on April 18 after taking time off.
Nadal, who is currently ranked sixth in the world, had also hinted that he could suffer a hip injury in early May, but his condition improved before his withdrawal.
However, the withdrawal does raise questions about whether Nadal will face enough matches at this year’s event. He had made sure of that by requesting at least six more matches, but was told he would have to face at least five matches this year, including last year’s event.
The news comes a day after Nadal announced he would not play at French Open, citing the same ‘personal reasons’.
Comments (3)
What a weird one this is. He was not supposed to take any more time off. And yet you put the whole tournament on a break because of his hip problem? So he could have been on the court against Querrey, but just not in play. I guess the best solution is to put him in Davis Cup instead of that silly Laver Cup. It’s his tournament, he should get the right to play. If he can