Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will take the rest of the year off in order to concentrate on his fitness for 2017.

The Spaniard has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons but appeared to have found his form again in the spring when he won in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, only to be forced out of the French Open mid-tournament with a wrist problem.

After missing Wimbledon, he worked hard to return in time to play at the Olympics, winning gold alongside Marc Lopez in the men’s doubles in Rio, while also finishing fourth in the singles.

However, he has struggled since and suffered a shock defeat to Viktor Troicki in the first round of last week’s Shanghai Masters.

Having previously planned to play in Basel, Paris and at the ATP Tour Finals in London, the 30-year-old has now decided to call time on his 2016 campaign and instead focus on ensuring he is ready to roll next year.

Nadal admits he has pushed himself unnecessarily hard at times in order to compete this season but just like his great rival Roger Federer did in July, has now opted to take a break in order to recharge his batteries.

“It is no secret that I arrived to the Olympic Games short of preparation and not fully recovered, but the goal was to compete and win a medal for Spain,” Nadal wrote on Facebook.

“This forced recovery has caused me pain since then and now I am forced to stop and start preparing the 2017 season. “Now it is time to rest and start preparing intensively the 2017 season.”