Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has said 'adios' to the current tennis season by pulling out of the US Open and ending his chances of winning a grand slam in 2021, as confirmed by a statement on Instagram on Friday.
Already withdrawing from Wimbledon and the Olympic Games this year, the Spaniard dropped two different videos on the social media network in his native tongue and English to explain the decision.
Looking glum and claiming to be "very sorry", he announced he will not be participating in any further competitions in 2021 after "suffering too much" with a foot injury for the past 12 months.
"I promise you that I will work hard to try to continue to enjoy this sport for some more time! [A] Big hug to all!" he wrote in the caption.
Its Spanish counterpart was far longer, where the 35-year-old explained that he needs to "take some time" to recover after consulting his team and family.
"It is a year [in which] I have missed things that are very important to me, such as Wimbledon, such as the Olympics, and now the US Open," he lamented.
"I have not had the ability to train and prepare and compete in the way that I really like to, because in the end I came to the conclusion that what I need is time to recover," he added.
"I have the utmost enthusiasm to do whatever it takes to regain the best possible shape, to continue competing for the things that really motivate me and the things that I have done during all these years," he vowed.
"I am convinced that with the recovery of [my] foot and obviously a very important daily effort, this can be achieved. I will work as hard as I can to make it happen."
Mounting a comeback in 2022 then, Nadal will hope that Novak Djokovic is not victorious at Flushing Meadows next month to overtake him and Roger Federer in the all-time Grand Slam wins rankings, or at least look to balance the scales once he gets back on the court.