Rafael Nadal declines invitation to participate in 2 golf tournaments due to continued problems with foot

Rafael Nadal recently participated in a couple of golf tournaments, including the Balearic Championships for Mid-Amateurs. By virtue of his solid performances in the competitions, the Spaniard was also invited by the European Tour to participate in the Spanish Open and the Mallorca Golf Open later this year.

But according to El Grafico, Nadal has turned down the invitations as he is still dealing with his chronic foot problem. The 35-year-old initially aggravated the injury during his Roland Garros semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic, and he's been struggling with it ever since.

Nadal skipped Wimbledon and the Olympics, before returning to action at the Washington Open. But he was plagued by foot problems again in Washington and suffered an early defeat to Lloyd Harris.

Shortly after that, the 35-year-old announced that he would be sitting out the rest of the season to try and fully recover from his injury.

Rafael Nadal recently disclosed that he had undergone treatment for his foot injury. It is safe to assume the Spaniard doesn't want to suffer any setbacks, which is likely why he declined the invitations by the European golf tour.

Moreover, while Nadal has a great aptitude for golf, he still has a long way to go before he can challenge the sport's top professionals.

Rafael Nadal gave the 2021 US Open a miss, but played at the Balearic Golf Championships

Rafael Nadal was able to hold his own during last year's Balearic Championships in Mallorca, finishing in fourth place at the two-day event (after leading the pack on the opening day of the tournament).

Rafael Nadal poses with a golf club at a recreational event in 2010

The Spaniard didn't enjoy similar success this year though, finishing in sixth place. Nadal subsequently withdrew from the US Open, which kicked off just one week after the golf tournament.

His decision to skip the New York Major meant Nadal couldn't defend the points that he gained from his triumph in the 2019 edition of the tournament.

As a result of his inactivity, Nadal has now dropped outside the ATP's top five. The Spaniard is likely to continue his slide down the rankings given that he will not return to the tour until next year.