Reigning champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of the U.S. Open because of an injury for the second time in three years Monday, leaving Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the men to beat at the years last Grand Slam tournament. Nadal announced his withdrawal, blamed on a bad right wrist, one week before play begins at Flushing Meadows. "I am sure you understand that it is a very tough moment for me since it is a tournament I love and where I have great memories from fans, the night matches, so many things," a posting on Nadals Facebook page read. "Not much more I can do right now, other than accept the situation and, as always in my case, work hard in order to be able to compete at the highest level once I am back." The second-ranked Nadal plays left-handed, but he uses a two-handed backhand. The 14-time major champion was hurt July 29 while practicing on his home island of Mallorca ahead of the North American hard-court circuit. The next day, Nadal announced he needed to wear a cast on his wrist for two to three weeks and would be sitting out tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati. The 28-year-old Spaniard also said at that time he expected to return for the U.S. Open. Instead, hes the fourth man in the Open era, which began in 1968, to decline to try to defend his U.S. Open title. The others were Ken Rosewall in 1971, Pete Sampras in 2003 and Juan Martin del Potro in 2010. Del Potro also is out of this years U.S. Open after wrist surgery in March. Nadal is 44-8 with four titles in 2014, including his record ninth French Open trophy in June. He has not competed since losing in the fourth round of Wimbledon on July 1. With Nadal sidelined, five-time U.S. Open champion Federer joins Djokovic as a favourite in New York -- even if there are questions about them. Federer turned 33 this month, and its been more than two years since he won one of his record 17 Grand Slam titles. But he is coming off a runner-up finish at Wimbledon last month and a hard-court title at the Cincinnati Masters on Sunday. After beating David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 on Sunday, Federer declared: "My games exactly where I want it to be." Djokovic won Wimbledon to take the No. 1 ranking from Nadal, but had a rough time on hard courts, losing his second match in both Toronto and Cincinnati. Still, Djokovic will be seeded No. 1 at the U.S. Open, and the third-ranked Federer is expected to rise one seeding spot to No. 2, so they could meet only in the final. The draw is Thursday. Federer reached six consecutive finals at Flushing Meadows from 2004-09, but hasnt been that far since, losing in the semifinals in 2010 and 2011, the quarterfinals in 2012, and the fourth round a year ago, when he was dealing with a bothersome back. Nadal won his second U.S. Open championship in 2013, part of a run of reaching the final in each of his last three appearances. He beat Djokovic to win the titles in 2010 and last year, and lost to Djokovic in 2011. The one question about Nadal over the years has been his durability, on account of a hard-charging, play-each-point-as-if-its-your-last style. He did not enter the U.S. Open in 2012, part of an extended absence because of a problem with his left knee. And this will be the second time Nadal chose to not attempt a defence of a major title: A year after winning Wimbledon in 2008, he missed that tournament with knee tendinitis. Nike Air Max 720 Wholesale . "He came up to me and said, I want to train," said Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen. The 26-year-old midfielder is expected to play Saturday night when Toronto hosts D.C. United, returning to his Major League Soccer squad with mixed feelings about the Americans World Cup run -- sad that it ended when it did but proud of his teams performance. Air Max 95 China Wholesale . Today, well look at five frontcourt players today, here from the Bay Area. 1. AMIR JOHNSON (Raptors): I cant figure out what the issue or problem is, but based upon what Im seeing, hes not right. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/who...rance-sale.html. Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston. Nike Vapormax 97 Cheap . Serves hit by her surgically repaired shoulder often missed the mark, resulting in 12 double-faults. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Replica China . Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs.Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray is confident hell be able to sign two of his top players, but nothing seems to be imminent. Murray spoke to CTV Ottawa on Wednesday regarding the contract status of forward Bobby Ryan and defenceman Marc Methot, two players entering the final year of their deals. "In both cases, I think they want to be in Ottawa, they certainly want to get paid according to the marketplace in their minds," said Murray who is entering his eighth season as GM in the nations capital. Murray noted that they will not speak to Ryan regarding a new deal until the season gets underway. Last year, Ryan tallied 48 points during his first season in Ottawa. "I think he [Ryan] wants to see how important of a role he can play in Ottawa and he tells me he likes it and will do a deal, but he wants to figure out where hes going as far as his career and his opportunity in Ottawa," explained Murray. Ryyan has one year left on his contract worth $5.dddddddddddd1 million while Methot has one year remaining on his deal worth $3 million. The 29-year-old Methot scored six goals and added 17 assists over 75 games last season, his second with the Senators. "Our version for Marc [Methot] is a little different than his, but thats normal I guess when we start negotiating," said Murray. The 71-year-old also spoke about the teams captain vacancy after Jason Spezza was traded to the Dallas Stars in the off-season. "Its nice to have a captain. Its good to have a good leader. I think we have a number of them in the room. We certainly have a few alternate captains from the previous year that are very strong and good people," said Murray. "Do we need a C to make them a captain? Im not sure. I think thats part of the discussion right now." Ottawa begins the season Oct. 9 on the road against the Nashville Predators. ' ' '