Spaniard says his personal priorities will take precedence over professional goals in deciding future plans
\nNEW YORK
\nRafael Nadal admitted Monday that he wasn\u2019t sure when he will return to action after Frances Tiafoe condemned him to his earliest US Open exit since 2016.
\nFour-time US champion Nadal, bidding for a 23rd Grand Slam title, lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the last-16 to 26th-ranked Tiafoe.
\nThe American\u2019s free-swinging performance conjured up 18 aces and 49 winners which flew past a sluggish Nadal on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
\nFor Australian and French Open champion Nadal, it was a first Grand Slam loss of 2022 after an abdominal strain forced him to forfeit his Wimbledon semi-final.
\nThe defeat ended a run of 16 successive Slams where the Spaniard had made at least the quarter-finals.
\n\u201cI need to go back. I need to fix things. I don\u2019t know when I going to come back,\u201d Nadal told a press conference.
\n\u201cI going to try to be ready mentally. When I feel that I will be ready to compete again, I will be there.\u201d
\nNadal has endured a rollercoaster year.
\nHis two Slam titles have taken him one clear of Novak Djokovic but his physical frailties have also returned to haunt him.
\nNadal suffered a stress fracture of the ribs in March before requiring daily pain-killing injections in his left foot to see him through to a 14th French Open title in June.
\nThen his bid for a third Wimbledon crown was shattered by an abdominal injury.
\nNadal is due to become a father for the first time in the coming weeks, a factor which will factor heavily into his future on-court plans.
\n\u201cNow I have to go home, I have more important things than tennis to attend to,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cDecisions will be made based on how everything goes in my personal life, which comes before my professional life.\u201d
\nHe added: \u201cIt\u2019s been a bit difficult for a few months but I want to finish the year with something very important that is my first child.\u201d
\nNadal is scheduled to return to action at the Laver Cup in London from September 23. He has already qualified for the ATP Tour Finals in Turin to be staged in November.
\nDespite his doubts over his future plans, Nadal told Spanish media that he won\u2019t rule out playing again this year.
\n\u201cI will do a mini pre-season to finish the year in Europe with good feelings and that is what we are going to try. There is a tournament ahead if everything else goes well,\u201d he said.
\nTiafoe is Nadal\u2019s junior by 12 years and on Monday, the Spaniard admitted that age is becoming a factor.
\n\u201cI was not able to push him back. Tennis is a sport of position a lot of times,\u201d he added.
\n\u201cIf not, you need to be very, very quick and very young. I am not in that moment anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spaniard says his personal priorities will take precedence over professional goals in deciding future plans NEW YORK Rafael Nadal admitted Monday that he wasn\u2019t sure when he will return to action after Frances Tiafoe condemned him to his earliest US Open exit since 2016. Four-time US champion Nadal, bidding for a 23rd Grand Slam title, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-282000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n