Wrist injury curtails Nadal's season

Rafael Nadal has finished his season early to allow himself to recover fully from a wrist injury.

Rafael Nadal has finished his season early to allow himself to recover fully from a wrist injury. (AAP)

Former world No.1 Rafael Nadal has ended his season in a bid to fully recover from the left wrist injury that has plagued him this year.

In a statement, the Spanish 14-times gram slam champion said he would play no more tournaments and would instead begin "preparing intensively" for the 2017 season.

The 30-year-old left-hander was forced to pull out of the French Open before his third-round match and also missed Wimbledon because of the injury although he returned to compete at the Rio Olympics where he won a doubles gold medal with Marc Lopez.

"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 said.

"This forced recovery has caused me pain since then and now I am forced to stop and start preparing the 2017 season."

Nadal, currently ranked sixth in the world, was expected to qualify for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.