Raonic, Nadal withdraw from Western & Southern Open with injuries

CINCINNATI — Big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic and Spanish star Rafael Nadal are the latest players to withdraw from the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, set to get underway this weekend in Cincinnati.

Raonic, listed as out with a heel injury, has only played in a handful of matches this season due to various injuries.

His last match was a three-set loss to Brandon Nakashima on July 28 at a tournament in Atlanta. That was his only competition since a fourth-round loss to Hubert Hurkacz at the Miami Open on March 30.

Nadal announced his withdrawal one day after he pulled out of the National Bank Open in Toronto with an injured left foot.

Nadal won the Western & Southern Open in 2013, and Raonic was the 2020 runner-up when the event was temporarily moved from Cincinnati to New York as part of the U.S. Open bubble due to COVID-19. 

Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin withdrew from the Western & Southern Open on Tuesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2021.

The Canadian Press