Rafael Nadal Will Not Play Again in 2016
Published on October 21 2016 6:23 am
Last Updated on October 21 2016 6:24 am
By ESPN
Rafael Nadal says he will not play again in 2016 so he can fully recover from a left wrist injury.
Nadal said Thursday on Facebook that he's still being bothered by the injury that kept him out of action for more than two months this season and wants to treat it properly before coming back in 2017.
He said he will not play next week in Basel or in Paris next month. He is also ruled out of the ATP Finals in London.
Nadal admitted he forced his recovery to be able to play in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and that caused him to be in pain in every tournament since then.
Kyrgios Free to Participate in NBA Celebrity Game
Controversial tennis player Nick Kyrgios will be free to participate in an NBA celebrity game in February after being released from his contract with an ATP event in the Netherlands.
Richard Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion and tournament director of the ABN Amro event in Rotterdam, posted a link to a statement on Twitter late Wednesday saying he'd agreed to cancel the contract at the request of Kyrgios, the 21-year-old Australian who this week received an eight-week ban from the tennis tour for "tanking" a match in China.
Krajicek said he made the decision so Kyrgios, an avid basketball fan, could attend the annual NBA All-Star weekend and play in a celebrity game on Feb. 19, the same day as the final in Rotterdam.
He said Kyrgios' manager had made the approach to withdraw "several weeks ago" and tournament organizers decided Tuesday to terminate the contract.
"We wanted to hold him to his contract," said Krajicek. "You see what can happen when he is tired and has little meaning, as in China.
"We want a top tennis player seen on the court. If every week he is focused on tennis, he might be mentally burned out after six months. He needs an outlet."
