Nadal pulls out of Cincinnati, adds to doubt over US Open; Medvedev wins
- 12 Aug 2021
Gulf Today Report
Rafael Nadal pulled out of Cincinnati Masters, a day after he withdrew from Toronto tourney. The two consecutive withdrawals in two days added doubts to the speculation over his participation in the US Open, the last grand slam of the year.
The Spanish legend is nursing a niggling injury since his lost at the hands of world number one Noval Djokovic in the semi-final of the French Open. Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer share a total of 60 Grand Slam titles among them with 20 each. Nadal plans to launch an assault on his fifth US Open crown look in limbo after two recent pull-outs.
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and British Andy Murray are known as the Big Four in the tennis fraternity and have dominated the game for over two decades. With Federer, Nadal and Murray all battling niggling injuries, which keep on resurfacing over again, Djokovic has been a dominant force in the circuit, winning all three Grand Slams of the year so far.
The Serbian had a chance to win a Golden Slam had he won the gold at recently concluded Olympics and capped the year with a victory at the US Open. He would become the first man to win a Golden Slam in the Open era and only second tennis player to do so after German great Steffi Graf achieved the feat in 1986.
But the Serbian was beaten in the semi-finals which all but ended his Golden Slam dreams but he is still on course for a calendar slam. Nadal did not play in the Wimbledon as well as Olympics due to the injury.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV ADVANCES
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Bublik 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the third round of the National Bank Open in a rain-marred match. In the women’s event in Montreal, defending champion Bianca Andreescu prevailed over qualifier Harriet Dart 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
The 21-year-old Andreescu, who won the U.S. Open in 2019, was playing her first match since a first-round exit at Wimbledon in late June.
