Rafael Nadal will miss the US Open and the rest of the 2021 season, the Spaniard announced on Instagram Friday due to a foot injury.

“I am very sorry to announce that I will not be able to keep playing tennis during the 2021 season. But as you know I have been suffering too much with my foot for the past year,” Nadal said. “I have missed a lot of important events for me like the US Open now, like Wimbledon, like the Olympics and many other events that are so important and emotional for me.”

Following a semi-final loss at Roland Garros against Novak Djokovic, Nadal did not play until the Citi Open in Washington due to the injury. The legendary lefty made the Round of 16 there before travelling to Toronto for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers. But Nadal withdrew from the ATP Masters 1000 event.

“After coming back from Toronto, I took a couple of days to think about it. I needed to talk with my family, with my team and with my doctors especially to understand what is going on. But the foot is not the proper way today,” Nadal said. “During the past year I was not practising and preparing myself the way that I need to to be competitive at the standards that I want to be, so we had to take that decision. But I am confident that I will recover 100 per cent and I will be able to fight again for the most important things.

“The injury is nothing new. It is the same injury that I have had since 2005. In that moment, the doctors were very negative about my future career, but I was able to have a career that I never dreamed about. So I am confident that I will recover again the foot and if the foot is better, I am confident that my tennis and my mentality will be there again soon.”

Nadal finishes his season with a 24-5 record and two titles, in Barcelona and Rome. The 35-year-old thanked his fans for all their support, and promised that he will do everything in his power to work his way back: “The only thing you can be sure of is I am going to fight every single day to make that happen.”