INTERNATIONAL: Rafael Nadal has his legions of fans increasingly worried. The world number four has withdrawn from yet another tournament – this time, the Masters 1000 in Toronto. He’s blaming a persistent foot injury.

It’s the same injury that kept the 20-time Grand Slam champion out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. It was also behind his shock third-round exit at the Washington Open last week. Nadal says the decision to pull out of Toronto was a tough one, but he had little choice.

He’s been dealing with the recurring foot issue since 2005, which returned at this year's Roland Garros, where he fell to eventual champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Nadal says he’s now turning his attention to getting fit for the U.S. Open in New York which starts on the 30th of this month.