HIGHLIGHTS

• Rafael Nadal out of Toronto Masters because of foot injury
• The injury has kept Nadal out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics
• Nadal has said he has been dealing with a recurring foot issue since 2005

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Toronto Masters on Tuesday because of an injured left foot that has troubled him for months, putting his preparation for the US Open on hold.

“I need to go back and try to find a way to be better again, no? At the end of the day, for me, the most important thing is (to) enjoy playing tennis. Today, with this pain, I am not able to enjoy it,” said Nadal, a five-time champion in Canada.

“And I really don’t believe that I have chances to fight for the things that I really need to fight for.”

The 35-year-old from Spain played last week at the hard-court event in Washington, winning his first match against Jack Sock and losing his second to Lloyd Harris — both in three sets. Nadal was bothered by the foot there.

The injury has kept Nadal out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics this year and played a role in his shock third-round exit at the Washington Open last week.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion was replaced in the draw at the hard-court tournament in Toronto by Feliciano Lopez, who lost in qualifying.

Nadal has said he has been dealing with a recurring foot issue since 2005, which returned at this year’s Roland Garros, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals before deciding to sit out two of the year’s biggest events.

Nadal will now turn his attention to getting fit ahead of the US Open in New York.

The US Open starts August 30 in New York.

Nadal missed that tournament last year, but won it the last time he entered, in 2019.