Rafael Nadal Pulls Out From 2012 US Open With Injury

After having to withdraw from the 2012 London Olympic Games, Rafael Nadal, the 2010 US Open men’s singles champion, now has to do the same at the 2012 US Open due to a recurring knee injury. He was one of the top draws with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Rafael Nadal’s knee injury that forced him to pull out from the 2012 London Olympic Games hasn’t gone away as he had to announce his withdrawal from the 2012 US Open. This is the first US Open that Nadal will miss since he made his tournament debut back in 2003.

“I am very sad to announce that I am still not ready to play and have to withdraw from this year’s US Open in NYC,” Nadal said in a statment on his Twitter page. “I am sorry since I always found great crowds and great support, but I have to continue with my recup and preparation to be ready to play in the right conditions. I want to say hi and thanks to all the fans, in particular to the New Yorkers. I’ll miss you all this year at the Open!”

Nadal, now ranked third in the world, broke through for his first United States Open championship in 2010 has not competed since losing in the second round of Wimbledon on June 28 due to a knee injury that caused him to miss the 2012 London Olympics as well as the Rogers Cup in Toronto and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

When Nadal withdrew from the 2012 Olympics, it wasn’t said that it was a knee injury, just that he wasn’t in condition to play. At last year’s Open, Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in the final. He was one of the headlining draws for this years US Open, but after Andy Murray beat Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon this month, attention will be drawn to him.