The 20-time Grand Slam winner has decided to pull out of this month’s Wimbledon and the subsequent Olympics in July
The 35-year-old is currently ranked as the world number three in tennis. He lost to Novak Djokovic in a tight game at the French Open semi-final last week.
Wimbledon will start Monday, 28th June only two weeks after the end of the Roland-Garros.
The Spaniard has decided to rest between the two competitions to not risk getting any injuries.
“It’s never an easy decision but after listening to my body and discussing it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” said Rafael Nadal.
“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy.”
BREAKING: Rafael Nadal will not participate in Wimbledon or the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
More info to come.#Wimbledon #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/OUpZfeOJPy
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 17, 2021
The Spaniard added: “That is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition.”
The Spanish tennis player also struggled with a back injury at the start of the year.
His decision to miss Wimbledon will mean he will also miss out on the Summer Olympics in Tokyo which starts on 23rd July.
Nadal last won Wimbledon in 2010 in a final against Roger Federer. He has also won two Olympic gold medals for men’s singles in London 2012 and for doubles in Rio 2016.
The world number three explained his choice to his fans through a post on Twitter:
“Sport prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a very important factor at this stage of my career in order to try to keep fighting for the highest level of competition and titles.
“I want to send a special message to my fans around the world, to those in the United Kingdom and Japan in particular.”
Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 17, 2021
