Rafael Nadal, on Wednesday, announced that he would not be playing at the Wimbledon Championships this year as he would like to reserve his strength for the Paris Olympics. In the statement, which he released via social media, Nadal noted that this year’s Olympics would mark his last appearance. This can be taken as a sign that he is expected to retire soon, as least, before the 2028 Olympics.
This is the second grand slam the former world number one is skipping, after missing the Australian Open back in January. His stay at the French Open was quite short and it was expected that he would show up at Wimbledon, but that would not be the case anymore.
In his statement, Nadal said: “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.
“With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change the 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. I am saddened not to be able to live this year in the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart and be with all the British fans who have always given me great support. I will miss you all.”
To prepare for Paris, the Spaniard will play at the Nordea Open, taking place in Bastad, Sweden. He noted that the event was one he used to participate in earlier in his career and is excited to be returning there.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist (singles and doubles), Nadal’s last appearance at the Olympics is a moment in tennis’ history, as it the first signal to the end of one of the best tennis’ careers of all time.
Although the 22-time grand slam champion has not given word on when he expects to retire, it is expected that it would not be far off. But for now, one can look forward to what he would do in Paris as the tennis world collectively savours his final days on the court as much as possible.
