Rafael Nadal has left tennis fans befuddled after it was announced that he would not play in the upcoming Laver Cup.
The 38-year-old has been hampered by injury setbacks in the latter stages of his storied career, reducing him to the sidelines for the majority of the past two seasons.
Nadal has claimed to be feeling positive about his body but put his Laver Cup withdrawal down to not being in a position to win anything.
It is the seventh tournament that the Spaniard has withdrawn from this season, including Wimbledon and the US Open.
What are fans saying after Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Laver Cup?
It was anticipated that Rafael Nadal would follow in the footsteps of his great rival Roger Federer and call time on his playing career while representing Team Europe at the Laver Cup.
However, it was announced on Thursday that Nadal made the difficult decision to withdraw from the tournament, with it later being confirmed that world number 10 Grigor Dimitrov would be his replacement.
- READ MORE: Stefanos Tsitsipas shares what Rafael Nadal is really like behind the scenes ahead of the Laver Cup
The news has sparked a wave of emotional reactions from fans across social media.
While all have expressed deep disappointment, his decision has also sparked debate over whether he was making the right decision to withdraw, despite claiming he had no physical issues.
One displeased fan asked: “So what happened? No mention of injury. Over a month of not playing since the Olympics, so what could have happened that he can’t participate in LC?,” while another asked: “But why?!”
A lot of fans have probed the reason given for his withdrawal, while others have claimed it not to be fair to those fans who have paid significant amounts of money to be in with the chance of watching the 22-time grand slam champion in the flesh.
One disgruntled supporter said: “There are just too many disappointments from our fave. With no injury, this is now very insensitive. People are losing small fortunes coming from all over the world.”
“The prices are excessively expensive for Laver Cup compared with other tournaments, and now Nadal withdraws!” another claimed.
What next for Nadal?
The next scheduled event in Nadal’s calendar is the Six Kings Slam exhibition, taking place October 16-19 in Saudi Arabia, featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
There were growing rumors that Nadal would announce his retirement at the Laver Cup but, now that this isn’t an option, fans are once again left wondering when he will hang up his racket.
To the annoyance of Nadal, journalists have been very persistent in trying to get a clear answer as to when he would depart the sport.
However, the Spaniard has stood his ground and confirmed that he would retire on his own terms.
Nadal suffered a beating by Djokovic at the Olympics in his last competitive singles match which offered little promise of the level he can still produce at the top of the game.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
