In this June 11, 2021 photo, Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts during his men's singles semi-final tennis match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic on Day 13 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament in Paris. (MARTIN BUREAU / AFP)

Rafa Nadal's US Open preparations have suffered another setback after the Spaniard withdrew from next week's Cincinnati hardcourt event with a nagging foot issue, organizers of the Masters 1000 tournament said on Wednesday.

Rafa Nadal is the latest in a number of high-profile names to sit out next week's Western & Southern Open

Nadal suffered a shock exit last week in Washington, where he kicked off his lead-up to the US Open, and on Tuesday pulled out of the ongoing Masters 1000 event in Toronto with a left-foot issue.

The Spaniard is the latest in a number of high-profile names to sit out next week's Western & Southern Open, joining a list that includes Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Sofia Kenin.

In his pre-tournament news conference in Toronto on Sunday, Nadal said a recurring foot issue he has been dealing with since 2005 returned at the French Open, where he fell to eventual champion Djokovic in the semi-finals.

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When discussing his Toronto withdrawal Nadal, who also sat out Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, said: "With this pain, I am not able to enjoy, and I really don't believe that I have chances to fight for the things that I really need to fight."

The US Open runs from Aug 30-Sept 12.

Canadian Milos Raonic, who was runner-up at the 2020 Western & Southern Open, which was held in New York in a bid to limit travel ahead of the US Open due to the COVID-19 outbreak, has also withdrawn from the Cincinnati event with a heel injury.