Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Canadian Open after experiencing further discomfort from the abdominal injury he suffered at Wimbledon.
Nadal advanced to the last four at the All England Club before a torn stomach muscle, which prevented him from serving normally during his quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz, forced him to pull out of the event.
The Spaniard returned to training about a fortnight later but did not resume serving until earlier this week – at which point it became apparent that his plans to compete in Montreal would have to be shelved.
“I have been practising for a while now without serving and started with serves four days ago. Everything has been going well. However, yesterday, after my normal practice, I felt a slight bother on my abdominal and today it was still there,” said Nadal in a statement.
“After speaking with my doctor, we prefer to take things in a conservative way and give a few more days before starting to compete.”
The 36-year-old’s withdrawal from a tournament he has won five times represents a blow to his preparations for the US Open, where he has won four of his 22 grand slam titles. His next scheduled appearance is in Cincinnati, a fortnight before the season’s final major gets underway on 29 August. Even a second title run there would leave him with only five competitive outings before heading to New York.
Then again, a lack of match play due to injury did not prevent Nadal from winning the Australian and French Opens earlier this year, and the Mallorcan has repeatedly emphasised the need to prioritise his long-term health at this stage of his career, a theme to which he returned as he announced his latest withdrawal on social media.
“After training, I had a little discomfort that was still there today,” Nadal wrote on Twitter. “We have decided not to travel to Montreal and to continue training without forcing ourselves.
“I have no choice but to be prudent at this point and think about health.”
Daniil Medvedev, who will be the top seed and defending champion in Montreal, is through to the final in Los Cabos after seeing off Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6 (7-0), 6-1. The world No 1, who fought back from 4-1 down in the opening set, will face Cameron Norrie after the British third seed came through 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 against Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Medvedev could face a blockbuster second-round meeting with Wimbledon finalist Nick Kygios in Montreal, although the Australian must first get past Sebastian Baez.
Kyrgios offered further evidence of his growing self-belief at the Citi Open, where he saved five match points against Frances Tiafoe, prevailing 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (12-10), 6-2 to set up a semi-final against Mikael Ymer of Sweden, who clinched a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 win over Sebastian Korda.
Kyrgios, who struck a remarkable 60 winners over the course of the two and a half hour contest, is seeking his first title since winning in Washington three years ago.
“Frances put himself in every position to win the match,” said Kyrgios. “In those moments I wasn’t really thinking too much. I was just trying to stay in the match, and I survived.
“I felt like physically I was really fresh in the third set and served well. I was extremely lucky at times, but it was just a great match.”
There was no such joy for Emma Raducanu, who lost a rain-delayed women’s quarter-final against Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (8-6), 6-1. Raducanu, the second seed, missed four set points in the opening set and made 24 unforced errors as she struggled to contain the Russian’s superior weight of shot. She left without speaking to the media afterwards.