Rafael Nadal Undergoes Surgery, Novak Djokovic Assured Year-End No.1 Status

Rafael Nadal has decided to end his season early after suffering an abdominal injury ahead of the Paris Masters last week. He also recently pulled out of the ATP Finals in London that begins Nov. 11 after failing to recover.

The Spaniard has not played since he pulled out midway though his semifinal match against Juan Martin del Potro at the US Open in September due to a knee injury.

Nadal was expected to return to action in Paris and then feature in London, but another unexpected injury has put paid to his plans. After deciding to end his season early, he also underwent surgery this week to rectify a problem in his ankle.

"It was a complicated year, very good at the tennis level when I was able to play and at the same time very bad as far as injuries are concerned,” Nadal said via a statement, as quoted by the Express.

"I have done everything possible to reach the end of the season in good condition, both in Paris and London, doing things well and I really wanted to play. ... Unfortunately, I had the abdominal problem in Paris last week and, in addition, I have a free body in the ankle joint that has to be removed in the operating room today,” he added.

“It is true that we had detected it for a long time and from time to time it bothered me. However, since the problem in the abdominal muscle also prevents me from playing in London, we take advantage of the moment to remove the free body and avoid future problems,” the Spaniard explained.

“In this way I hope to be in full condition for the next season. Thanks to all for the support.”

Nadal’s doctors have confirmed the surgery went off without any problems and the Spaniard is now expected to return to action at the start of the 2019 campaign.

The 17-time men’s singles Grand Slam champion had lost his place atop the ATP men’s singles ranking to Novak Djokovic during the Paris Masters, but his withdrawal from the ATP Finals in London has ensured that the Serbian will finish the year as the top ranked men’s singles player.

It is a remarkable achievement for Djokovic, who has also struggled with long injury absences in the last 15 months. He was ranked as low as 22 in June this year, but a phenomenal second-half of the season, which saw him win the Wimbledon Championships, the US Open, the Cincinnati and the Shanghai Masters, has seen make his way to the top.

Nadal, however, will keep his place as the world number two despite skipping the final two events of the season as he has built a sizeable gap to world number three Roger Federer.