US Open 2014: Rafael Nadal's wrist injury hits preparations for Flushing Meadows

Rafael Nadal’s season has taken a turn for the worse after he was forced to withdraw from two upcoming tournaments because of an injury to his right wrist. The 28-year-old Spaniard hurt the wrist while practising in Majorca and had it examined today at a specialist clinic in Barcelona.

Having been advised to immobilise the wrist in a cast for at least a fortnight, Nadal has pulled out of the Masters Series tournaments in Toronto next week and in Cincinnati a week later.

He is aiming to return at the US Open, which starts in 25 days’ time, but his participation there must also be in doubt. Wrist injuries are among the worst that tennis players can suffer.

Little has gone right for Nadal since he won the French Open for a record ninth time last month. He suffered a fourth-round defeat to the teenager Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon and lost his world No 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic when the Serb won the title at the All England Club.

With Nadal having been due to defend his titles at both the forthcoming Masters Series events and the US Open, Djokovic looks certain to enjoy a lengthy spell at the top of the rankings.