Rafael Nadal’s season has come to an end due to a wrist injury.

“I am forced to stop and start preparing the 2017 season,” Nadal wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday. “Now it is time to rest and start preparing intensively the 2017 season. I am very saddened for not being able to play next week in Basel since I have a great memory of the tournament and the final played against Roger Federer last year. I won’t be able to compete either in Paris-Bercy, where the crowds and the FFT staff have always treated me so well. Now it is time to rest and start preparing intensively the 2017 season.”

Nadal compiled a 39-14 match record during the 2016 season, including two titles at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (d. Monfils) and the Barcelona Open BancSabadell (d. Nishikori).

The 30 year old officially opened the Rafael Nadal Academy by Movistar in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca, on Wednesday.

Second seed Grigor Dimitrov, the 2013 champion (d. Ferrer), will take on Kevin Anderson in the If Stockholm Open quarter-finals after he beat Jurgen Zopp 6-3, 6-2 in 72 minutes on Thursday.

“It was a good win for a first match,” said Dimitrov. “I have to play every day now, so I must stay focused. Kevin is an extremely good player, serves unbelievably well and as it’s indoors it will come down to a matter of a few points.”

Anderson overcame qualifier Ryan Harrison 7-6(8), 6-4, saving two set points at 5/6 and 7/8 in the first-set tie-break. Dimitrov has a 5-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head lead against Anderson.

Wild card Juan Martin del Potro improved to 3-0 lifetime against Nicolas Almagro with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in 79 minutes and will now meet second seed Ivo Karlovic.

Top seed Gael Monfils, the 2011 titlist, who is attempting to qualify for next month’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the first time, takes on Gastao Elias later today.

On the court, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been intense rivals. But on Wednesday, the two all-time greats were nothing more than old friends as Federer joined Nadal to celebrate the official opening of the Rafael Nadal Academy by Movistar in Nadal’s hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.

“I’m really here to honour the great man, Rafa. I think it’s wonderful that he’s taken this journey on to give the kids something back,” Federer said. “I’ve been around the game 17 years. I’ve seen a lot of hard workers and inspiring players, but you’ve been the one in my opinion who has been the most inspiring and most influential and made me the player I am today. Because you’re left-handed, because of your spin, because of the intensity you bring to the court, I had to re-invent and re-work my game entirely. And that’s because of the person you are and how much you’ve trained.”

Federer and Nadal have played 34 times. The left-hander leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 23-11 and has won five of the their past six matches. Federer, though, took their most recent contest, the final at the Swiss Indoors Basel last season.

“I’ve seen you prepare for tournaments and practices the same way, which I can’t do, because my mind doesn’t allow me to, I can’t prepare for matches and practices this long. We’re completely different when it comes to this,” Federer said. “I admire everything and how you do it, and I hope you can still do it for many more years to come. I really wish you good health. I think it’s of the utmost importance.”

The 35-year-old Swiss endured his first major injury this season, 17 years into his professional career. Federer announced in July that he would sit out the remainder of the 2016 ATP World Tour season to continue rehabbing from knee surgery in February. He joked about injuries with Nadal, who’s had his fair share, including a left wrist injury that forced him to miss 10 weeks earlier this season.

“I’m going through my first big injury now. It’s been fairly easy for me. I’ve enjoyed my time at home. I’ve enjoyed seeing my family, practise has been easy,” Federer said. “But I don’t know how it’s going to be when I come back. You’ve done it a million times, so there again I can be inspired by you. How easily you always came back, and you made it look easy! You were always right away back in the Top 10, Top 5, World No. 1. That’s something I’m going to be thinking about when I come back to the tour in January.”

The Rafael Nadal Academy by Movistar includes 26 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a fitness centre, two swimming pools, mini-football pitches, a multi-sport court and seven paddle tennis courts.

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“To share this with Roger is an unforgettable day,” Nadal said. “For Roger to share this important moment, for me and my family, [it] really means a lot.”

Nadal might have earned a few potential future clients from Federer’s visit as well.

“I hope the kids are going to learn from this great man. He’s one of the greatest we’ve ever had. His attitude speaks for itself. I hope it’s going to be a wonderful academy,” Federer said. “One thing’s for sure, I know where I’m going to send my kids if they want to learn tennis. I’m going to send them right here!”

No. 2 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas survived 10 aces from home favourite Evgeny Donskoy to win 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4 in the second round of the VTB Kremlin Cup on Wednesday. Donskoy saved two match points to force a second-set tie-break, which he won to extend the match, but the Russian succumbed after a three-hour battle.

Ramos-Vinolas will face Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals. The Italian broke serve five times in downing countryman Paolo Lorenzi 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 in two hours and 13 minutes. Fognini holds a commanding 7-0 lead in his FedEx ATP Hea2Head rivalry with Ramos-Vinolas and has never dropped a set against the left-hander on hard court.

#NextGen star Karen Khachanov put up a good show for his home crowd, but was unable to close out Damir Dzumhur, losing 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in their opening-round clash. Khachanov served for the match twice in the second set but Dzumhur rallied both times. The Bosnian will next face No. 6 seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

Cabal/Farah Make Strong Start

Second seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah made a strong start to their doubles campaign with a 7-6(5), 6-0 win over Ricardas Berankis and Janko Tipsarevic. The Colombians are No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London.

Rafael Nadal officially opened the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in his hometown, Manacor, Mallorca, on Wednesday. The high-performance centre combines tennis and education, so that students can continue their pathway to professional tennis without having to neglect their academic studies.

“My future is here,” said Nadal. “I don’t imagine myself living away from Mallorca. The sport is my passion and creating this tennis academy is the most important part. You can also play lots of different sports here. I believe this is a centre that kids need. I will be very involved.

“There is also an international school, which is important to maintain the academic schedule. The team of coaches here [directed by Toni Nadal] have a lot of experience in our professional sport and, also, the knowledge to teach the kids that train at the academy. I’d like to make this a centre of tennis for everyone around the world.”

The Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar is equipped with the latest technology, including supervised residency exclusively for students, an American International School for children aged 10 to 18 years of age, and a clinic specialising in sports medicine, physiotherapy and nutrition. There are also 26 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a fitness centre, two swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), mini-football pitches, three regulation multi-sport courts, 10 paddle tennis courts, a restaurant and café bar, pro shop and gardens.

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“I don’t know how many players of Rafa’s calibre have an academy,” said Roger Federer, who was a special guest at the launch. “I see his D.N.A. all around, and that’s an incredible bonus. It’s a special place. His work ethic is right up there at the top, and he’ll be able to share his experiences. It’s very exciting… I’m proud to have been here today.”

ATP Executive Chairman & President Chris Kermode also attended the event alongside ITF President David Haggerty, Wimbledon Chairman Phillip Brook, David Brewer, Director, Pro Circuit and US Open Referee; and José María Álvarez-Pallete, Chairman & CEO of Telefónica.

Kermode said, “I’d like to congratulate Rafa and all those involved on this special day for the opening of the Rafa Nadal Academy. The facility is truly impressive, and it’s been an honour to be invited here for this landmark occasion. Rafa has an incredible passion for our sport, and this Academy is a further reflection of that. On behalf of the ATP, I’d like to wish the Academy the very best for a successful future.”

The 24,000-square metres academy, which opened its doors in June, brings 140 additional jobs to Manacor.

Power tennis was on display at the If Stockholm Open on Wednesday, as Juan Martin del Potro downed No. 7 seed John Isner 6-4, 7-6(6) in first-round action. The Argentine wild card scored his first win in three trips to Stockholm.

“I’ve been here twice in the past and did not win a match. Hopefully this is a good sign for me to go far this week,” del Potro said. “I’m very happy to have a chance to come back here and to be able to show my best tennis.

“Isner has a difficult game to play against. In the second set, I was lucky in the tie-break to take the chance to win the match.”

Isner came into the match with an ATP World Tour-leading 982 aces and added 15 to his tally against del Potro, but the 6’10” American dropped serve to lose the first set and succumbed in 89 minutes. Del Potro fired nine aces and did not face a break point in improving his FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Isner to 5-2. He will next face Nicolas Almagro.

Big-serving Ivo Karlovic defeated Swedish teen Mikael Ymer 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. The No. 3 seed was in danger of being upset by the 18 year old, currently No. 549 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but saved all three break points faced after dropping the opening set. The Croatian struck 16 aces and won 90 per cent of first-serve points to advance in under two hours.

#NextGen star Alexander Zverev beat Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-4. The 19 year old, who recently cracked the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, hit seven aces and broke serve three times against the French left-hander.

Sixth seed and last year’s finalist Jack Sock notched his 30th match win of 2016 to edge Malek Jaziri 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) for a place in the second round against Dustin Brown.

Jurgen Zopp, who qualified for his first ATP World Tour tournament of the year, recorded his first tour-level match win since 2012 when he knocked out Benjamin Becker 6-3, 6-4.

Doubles Seeds Advance

Rohan Bopanna and Treat Huey, seeded second, downed Marcos Baghdatis and Gilles Muller 7-6(6), 6-3 in their opening match, while No. 4 seeds Mate Pavic and Michael Venus beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski 7-6(5), 6-4. Both teams will face all-Swedish duos in the quarterfinals. Bopanna/Huey will take on Johan Brunstrom and Andreas Siljestrom, while Pavic/Venus will play wild cards Isak Arvidsson and Fred Simonsson.

Fourth seed Pablo Cuevas struck 11 aces to move past qualifier Jozef Kovalik 6-4, 7-6(4) on Wednesday and reach the European Open quarter-finals in Antwerp. He will meet Diego Schwartzman or #NextGen star Taylor Fritz, who won 80 per cent of his first-serve points and came back to beat German wild card Joris De Loore 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Third seed Richard Gasquet lost only two first-serve points (24/26) to beat Spaniard Inigo Cervantes 6-2, 6-4.

Fifth seed Gilles Simon, who reached last week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters semi-finals, converted five of six break points in a 6-3, 6-2 victory against German qualifier Yannick Maden. It was Simon’s 30th match win of the year. The Frenchman will face another German in round two, Jan-Lennard Struff.

Top doubles seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut needed only 52 minutes to prevail against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Nenad Zimonjic 6-0, 6-3. Herbert/Mahut are looking to gather momentum heading into the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held 13-20 November at The O2 in London. The Frenchman will be playing at the year-end championships for the second consecutive year.

View The Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London Standings