Rafael Nadal handed fresh US Open 2022 boost as Alexander Zverev confirms withdrawal

Rafael Nadal's bid for the fifth US Open title received a major boost after Germany's Alexander Zverev decided to pull out of the US Open 2022 tournament as he is still recovering from his injury. Alexander Zverev's injury happened during the French Open due to which he did not play in the Wimbledon event. With Zverev out due to injury and Novak Djokovic unlikely to play US Open after organisers decided to go with the country's health protocols, Nadal's chances of winning the third grand slam trophy of the year have increased. 

Alexander Zverev withdraws from US Open 2022

Alexander Zverev's injury had kept him away from tennis since June. The German suffered the injury against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the French Open. Zverev had rolled his right ankle while chasing a ball behind the baseline following which he had to leave the court in a wheelchair. Alexander Zverev later underwent surgery for three torn lateral ligaments in the affected ankle and has been recovering since then. The 25-year-old has played seven straight US Open main draws till now and has finished as runner-up to Dominic Thiem back in 2020, followed by a semifinal appearance last year.

Rafael Nadal news: Former world no 1 begins US Open 2022 preparation

Australian and French Open champion Rafael Nadal shared images from his preparations for the upcoming US Open 2022. Nadal's preparations for the US Open took a hit earlier this month when he was beaten at the Cincinnati Masters in the first round by Borna Coric. Following the defeat, Nadal said that he wasn’t ready enough to win the match and that the big thing is to stay healthy. He also said that it is difficult to manage foot injury but he is ready to take it step-by-step.

The Spaniard will be playing at the vent after a three-year absence.  Taking to Instagram Rafael Nadal shared an image of himself and declared that he was focused ahead of the US open 2022. He wrote," First practice on Ashe… focus!”. Nadal has been a four-time winner at Flushing Medows winning US Open titles in 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2019. 

 Since winning the US Open title back in 2019, Nadal did not take part in the 2020 and 2021 editions. In 2020, Rafael Nadal decided against taking part in the final Grand slam event of the year due to COVID-19 concerns. In 2021, Nadal decided not to participate due to a foot injury which brought an end to his season.