After scratching from the Olympics and the Masters 1000 in both Toronto and Cincinnati, the Mallorca-born 'king of clay' was hoping his knee injury would have cleared up sufficiently to allow him to play in the Big Apple on August 27.

This is the first time the world number three has had to pull out of the US Open due to injury, since his début there in 2003.

And his position in the ATP ranking could be in serious danger as a result of his damaged knee causing him to miss so many tournaments.

Current world number two, Serbia's Novak Djokovic, is the present title-holder at the New York Grand Slam, taking it from Rafa who won it in 2010.

Rafa's decision earlier this year to pull out of the London Olympics was a considerable blow to the player and his fans, given that he would have been the flag-bearer for the Spanish team.