The Spaniard lost to 50th ranked South African Lloyd Harris during the third round. Harris took the victory 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 on the Washington hardcourts at the Citi Open.
Last Wednesday, Nadal enjoyed a three-set victory on his Citi Open debut against American Jack Sock. However, he was limping at the end of the match and was unsure about the next matches. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old tennis star advanced to his second match, facing Harris in the ATP Washington.
Nadal played aggressive tennis but aggravated his foot, eventually losing and now officially out of the tournament. He has not played since the French Open semi-final after losing to Novak Djokovic. Due to a sore foot, he chose to skip the Wimbledon and the Olympics, not picking up a racquet for more than two weeks.
After his loss, Nadal said that his foot seems to have improved. He claimed that it felt much better than the day before the match. Nadal chose to play for the first time since the French Open to rebuild his fitness. Playing at the Citi Open was part of his preparation for the US Open, which will start on August 30.
Regarding his loss, Nadal did not seem to take too hard. Nadal said hell keep accepting the challenges that come his way, and hell have a chance again next week. When he enters the US Open, Nadal is among Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer with 20 career Grand Slams.