Rafael Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup due to ‘personal reasons’
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2014 Laver Cup in order to concentrate on other matters with which he is involved.
In a statement issued on the Laver Cup website, the world number three said: “Last week, I experienced a personal shock which I will be reflecting on for a while. This week, all the things that I had decided to do in advance came to a halt, so it’s now clear to me that what I was doing was a wrong decision. For this situation, I want to thank the team and officials for this opportunity, for the great support that will help me to take the right decision. I also want to thank the spectators for being so understanding and forgiving.”
Nadal is only due to defend his title for the second time in his career on Monday in the Australian Open in Melbourne.
It is the first time in 14 years that Nadal has missed the finals of a major tournament, having lost earlier last year in the French Open to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.
He has reached at least the semifinals in six straight editions of the event.
And he is bidding to win his first title since the 2011 US Open, which was his last triumph.
The Laver Cup is a singles and doubles event on the ATP Challenger Tour, which is based in Miami, Florida.
