Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the 2024 Laver Cup, which begins in Berlin September 20.
The tournament shared a statement from the 22-time Grand Slam champion on Instagram, detailing that “there are other players who can help the team deliver the win.”
“I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week.
“I have so many great, emotional memories from playing Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn (Borg) in his final year as Captain.
“I wish Team Europe the very best of luck and will be cheering them on from afar.”
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The competition is yet to announce a replacement for Nadal, who last played competitive tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he lost to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles tournament. Having partnered with Carlos Alcaraz for the doubles competition, their ‘Nadalcaraz’ partnership went on a run to the quarterfinals, before Americans Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek offered a lesson in doubles geometry on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
| Player | Nation | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
|
Alexander Zverev
|
Germany
|
2
|
|
Carlos Alcaraz
|
Spain
|
3
|
|
Daniil Medvedev
|
Russia
|
5
|
|
Casper Ruud
|
Norway
|
9
|
|
Stefanos Tsitsipas
|
Greece
|
12
|
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
Team World, captained by John McEnroe — who will be replaced by Andre Agassi for 2025 — has suffered withdrawals of its own, with Australia’s Alex de Minaur and America’s Tommy Paul pulling out of the event following the U.S. Open.
| Player | Nation | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
|
Taylor Fritz
|
USA
|
7
|
|
Frances Tiafoe
|
USA
|
16
|
|
Ben Shelton
|
USA
|
17
|
|
Alejandro Tabilo
|
Chile
|
22
|
|
Francisco Cerundolo
|
Argentina
|
31
|
|
Thanasi Kokkinakis
|
Australia
|
78
|
Nadal, who withdrew from the U.S. Open earlier in the summer, has suffered from a series of injuries the past two seasons — a cracked rib, an abdominal tear, multiple hip injuries that required surgery, another injury to the hip area, and a back issue. He has been non-committal about what the remainder of his career will entail, and will not be following fellow member of the “Big Three” Roger Federer in retiring at the Laver Cup. Federer, who won 20 Grand Slam titles, made his last match a doubles with Nadal against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the 2022 event.
Nadal is still entered to play the 6 Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia taking place from October 17 to 19.
Required reading
- What it’s like to play Rafael Nadal on clay, according to Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and more
- The new rules of tennis retirement
- How doubles skill overcame the genius of ‘Nadalcaraz’
(Top photo: Frey / TPN via Getty Images)
