Rafael Nadal: Why is star not playing with Roger Federer at Laver Cup? Reasons explained
RAFAEL NADAL is not competing in the Laver Cup this year, having played in the first tournament in 2017.
Nadal, who won the French Open in the summer, was not involved in the Laver Cup squad.
Despite missing Spain’s crucial Davis Cup semi-final in September, Nadal was not part of Team Europe.
Last year, Nadal made history by playing doubles with Roger Federer for the first time ever.
He played a key role as Team Europe won the inaugural trophy.
This year, Federer partnered up with Novak Djokovic for the first time.
Why is Nadal not competing?
Nadal was not selected for Team Europe, in part because of a scheduling issue with the Davis Cup.
He announced that he would not be playing before Wimbledon.
However, Nadal was forced to pull out of the Davis Cup semi-final after he sustained an injury against Juan Martin Del Potro in the US Open semi-final.
He decided to not compete, and to rest his body and focus on recovery.
When is the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup began on September 21 and ends on September 23.
Matches have been held at the United Centre in Chicago.
What is the Laver Cup?
The Laver Cup is a new tournament held over three days, in which teams from Europe and the Rest of The World compete.
In the style of The Ryder Cup, a team captain picks seven players from their designated area to compete for them.
Teams then play a series of singles and doubles against each other.