Bad news for the tennis fans in Cincinnati as both Rogers Cup champions Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu decided not to play the upcoming event in Ohio.
Nadal and his knee injury
The Spanish sensation already announced a few weeks ago that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play in Cincinnati to decide after the Rogers Cup. The King of Clay is always extremely cautious when playing on hard courts because of his ongoing struggle with his knee.
The world no.2 had a relatively easy run in Montreal where he won the title after not playing much tennis. In fact, after his 1st round bye, Rafa won 2 matches in straight sets against Daniel Evans (7-6 6-4) and Guido Pello (6-3 6-4). Later Nadal had a not so taxing encounter against Fabio Fognini after he won 2-6 6-1 6-2. Things got lighter and lighter for Rafa in the later stages of the tournament as he received a free pass to the final after Gael Monfils had to withdraw before playing the semifinal. In the final, the Spaniard demolished Daniil Medvedev 6-3 6-0.
Therefore Rafa didn’t have a tough run in Montreal. However, the 18-time slam champion still decided not to play in Cincinnati citing fatigue. Hoping that there is no more, this is good news as Nadal didn’t mention a problem to his knee.
Will Nadal play the US Open?
Again there are no indications that Nadal is currently having a serious issue to his knee. Citing “fatigue” after such a “light” run in Montreal doesn’t really sound right. However, Rafa may just want to avoid any possible injury in Cincinnati to have his best chances at the last slam of the season. Therefore, is quite plausible that Nadal will play the US Open.
Andreescu and her right leg
Bianca had a fantastic week in Toronto where she won the Rogers Cup. The young Canadian was clearly struggling with her right leg, but she was “blessed” in the final by the fact that it was Serena Williams to withdraw because of a problem to her back. This was good news for Bianca that didn’t have to put more strain on her body. However, the 19-year-old decided not to take any risk to withdraw from Cincinnati.
After winning the Rogers Cup, Bianca commented: “I’ve never been there, so I’m really disappointed to withdraw from the tournament. I really have to listen to my body right now; this last week has not been easy on it.”
This was probably a good call for Bianca that was a bit too confident in her body earlier in the year when she decided to compete in Miami after she won the title in Indian Wells to aggravate her right shoulder injury. Eventually, the Canadian sensation had to withdraw during the 4th round in Florida, and she was sidelined for months.
Will Andreescu play the US Open?
Bianca seemed to move pretty well in Toronto. Taking a couple of weeks off from the competitions seems to be a sensible move for the Canadian.
Therefore, Bianca is widely expected to play the last slam of the season where she will be among the top favorites to win the trophy. As she said during her speech at the Rogers Cup: “This is just the beginning.”
