Rafa Nadal will not defend US Open title in New York. Citing the “complicated” nature of the world under the pandemic, Rafael Nadal has opted not to defend his US Open title later this month in Flushing Meadows, New York. In a tweet posted Tuesday, Nadal said: “I have decided not to play this year’s US Open. The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it.” More than 155,000 Americans are known to have died from the virus, and the death toll is projected to reach 173,000 by August 22, according to a new composite forecast from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. World No. 2 Nadal is a four-time US Open winner and has collected 19 grand slam singles titles, one behind Roger Federer, who will also miss the US Open with a knee injury.
