Rafael Nadal
Last Updated: 11/11/18 5:01pm
Rafael Nadal was forced to bring a premature end to his 2018 season after the Spaniard took the decision to undergo surgery on a long-standing ankle injury.
The 32-year-old was due to make his return to action at the Paris Masters but pulled out at the last-minute because of an abdominal injury, which did not heal in time for the season-ending finale in London.
Nadal had won his fourth Rogers Cup title with victory in Toronto - his 80th title - and then reached the US Open semi-finals before a knee injury forced him to retire against Juan Martin del Potro.
Prior to that he had once again demonstrated his dominance on clay with an 11th French Open title which had followed wins in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Rome.
Having begun the year trading with Roger Federer for the world No 1 spot Nadal will begin 2019 aiming to continue to bridge the gap for Grand Slam singles titles, with his Swiss rival three ahead.
Major Titles: Australian Open ('09), French Open ('05, '06, '07, '08, '10, '11, '12, '13, '14, '17 '18), Wimbledon ('08, '10), US Open ('10, '13, '17),
