Nadal withdraws from Laver Cup after playing part in Federer farewell

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Laver Cup after being paired with Roger Federer for the final match of the Swiss star's career on Friday.

Federer had announced he would be retiring following the tournament and was then only fit to feature in one doubles match.

But that gave the Swiss great the opportunity to team up with Nadal, with the duo falling to a narrow and entertaining 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 11-9 loss to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe at the O2 Arena.

That defeat marked the end of Federer's involvement in the Laver Cup, and Nadal's participation is over for this year, too.

Nadal has been dealing with an abdominal injury in the second half of this season, with the issue notably seeing him miss a Wimbledon semi-final against Nick Kyrgios.

However, the Laver Cup, announcing the Spaniard's absence from the weekend's play on Saturday, made no reference to any ailment, saying he had pulled out "for personal reasons".

Cameron Norrie took Nadal's place in the tournament and was set to face Taylor Fritz.