Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer missed the US Open with injuries. Federer underwent a third surgery on his knee and Rafa has been struggling with a foot injury since the French Open. Both players have announced that they will not play for the rest of the year. 

Both Federer and Nadal are on crutches and recovering. Nadal posted a picture of him on crutches. He received treatment on his foot and will be off the tennis court for a few weeks. Federer has not posted pictures on social media in recent weeks.

I haven’t communicated with you through social media for a while. I was in Barcelona with my team and medical team to receive a treatment on my foot that will keep me a few days of rest and a few weeks off the court. I’m back home now and in the process of recovery. Thanks to everyone for the support.

–  Rafael Nadal

Nadal has been dealing with his foot injury for almost 15 years. It was originally diagnosed in 2005. Nadal suffers from a rare foot condition called Kohler’s disease, which is caused by an underdeveloped bone and causes acute pain when stressed. Nadal has been managing the problem all these years with a modified shoe that provided additional support and protected the bone. 

If you are a tennis fan living in the US, trying to find tennis on TV can be a painful exercise. This was especially the case for the 2021 US Open final which was only carried by ESPN, a paid cable channel. Streaming was also available on ESPN3 if the internet provider offered that option.

Not showing the finals on free-to-air TV in the US is a disgrace. No one should need a paid cable subscription to watch the most popular tennis event in the US.

Tennis has a tough time competing with other American sports such as the NFL and college football. In recent years, not many Americans have reached the finals, which has reduced TV audience for tennis.

Free to air channels CBS get their revenue from advertisements whereas cable channels like ESPN get bulk of their revenue from subscription fees. In the US, where ESPN2, which carries tennis, has received complaints from viewers that the channel spends too much time showing tennis.

A fix to the problem would be more Americans going deep at the US Open and possibly winning titles. Even then, tennis will find it difficult to compete against NFL.