In what many would call ideal U.S. Open preparation, Rafael Nadal not only won the Rogers Cup title on Sunday but also withdrew from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
“I am very sorry to announce that I won’t be playing in Cincinnati this year,” Nadal posted on social media. “No other reason than personally taking care of my body and trying to keep as healthy as I feel now. I am very thankful to my friend Andre Silva, Tournament Director of the Cincinnati tournament, who after speaking to him on the phone understood what I said and understand the situation.
“I am sure the tournament will be a success and I wish him and his team all the best. I am also sad for those amazing fans in Cincy and around who always gave me great support. I am sure I’ll see them next year and I am sorry I won’t be with them this year. Thanks for all the support as always.”
Thus the world No. 1 will head into the U.S. Open–which begins two weeks from Monday–with plenty of rest and also plenty of momentum following his fourth triumph at the Toronto/Montreal Masters 1000 event.
Nadal dropped only one set along the way, to Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals. He posted straight-set victories over Benoit Paire, Stan Wawrinka, Karen Khachanov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Sunday’s championship match saw the top seed end Tsitsipas’ amazing run 6-2, 7-6(4) after one hour and 42 minutes.
“If you told me this two weeks ago I would not have believed it,” Nadal said on court in his post-match interview. “It’s a great way to start the hard-court season. Winning in Toronto is so important. You don’t win Masters 1000s very often. It’s a very important victory for me and I’m very happy.”
“The patience that Rafa has is amazing,” Tsitsipas praised. “He never cracks. He will always grab you like a bulldog and always will always make you suffer on the court. And it is amazing what he has built as a player. That’s how you feel when you play against him. So I need to work much more and hopefully I can reach his level one day.
“I’m really hungry for more. I believe I can achieve much more this year.”
The 20-year-old Greek is still slated to play this week in Cincinnati.
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