Defending champ Rafael Nadal to miss US Open amid pandemic
Defending champion Rafael Nadal will skip the U.S. Open because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That puts on hold his bid to equal Roger Federer’s men’s record for Grand Slam titles.
Nadal explained his decision in a series of tweets sent in Spanish and English. The 34-year-old from Spain called sitting out the tournament scheduled to begin Aug. 31 in New York “a decision I never wanted to take” but added that he would “rather not travel.”
The current No. 1-ranked woman, Ash Barty, already had announced she would be missing the U.S. Open.
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