Tennis great Rafael Nadal has announced that he will be skipping next month’s Wimbledon to focus on the Paris Olympics. Nadal said he did not want to change surfaces, especially since he was still returning to full fitness after injuries kept him on the sidelines for a long time. 

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Nadal took to social media to inform about his decision, a day after Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) announced that the 22-time Grand Slam winner was pairing with young sensation, Carlos Alcaraz for doubles at the Olympics.  

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“During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics,” said Nadal. 

“With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon.” 

The two-time Olympics gold medalist added that he will be playing in Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden to prepare for the quadrennial tournament. Nadal is awarded a wildcard and will be unseeded, which means he will play his first match as early as Monday or Tuesday, July 15-16.

Nadal’s injury woes

Nadal has been struggling with injuries for the last two years which has limited his game time. Since January last year, he has only played 15 matches as a hip injury and muscle tear have kept him in rehabilitation. 

He returned to action on his favourite surface – clay, playing at Barcelona and Madrid Masters before also giving a go in Rome. After decent outings in the two tournaments, Nadal arrived in Roland Garros to face Alexander Zverev in the first round. 

Despite giving a good account of himself, Nadal went down in straight sets against the German. After the match, Nadal said he was ‘100 per cent sure’ if he would be returning to the French Open next year. 

“It is difficult for me to talk. I don’t know if it is the last time that I am going to be here in front of you. I’m not 100 per cent sure but if it’s the last time, I enjoyed it,” said Nadal in the post-match interview. 

Despite the setbacks, the fans would be happy to see Nadal back in action at Roland Garros and compete for another Olympic medal. 

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