Top
Rafael Nadal - Roland Garros 2024
ATP Tennis Players, Rafa Nadal, Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments, Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal confirms Wimbledon withdrawal and announces next tournament


Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will not play at Wimbledon this year, with the Spaniard prioritising the Paris Olympic Games. 

Nadal had hinted that this would be the case following his first round defeat at Roland Garros this year, suggesting that it ‘was not a good idea’ to transition from clay to grass and then back to clay.

And after the former world No.1 was announced to be making his fourth appearance as part of the Spanish Olympics team yesterday, Nadal has now released a statement of his own.

In this statement on social media, Nadal confirmed his withdrawal from Wimbledon and revealed that he would play the ATP 250 event in Bastad ahead of the Olympics.

“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,” Nadal said on social media. “It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics.”

He continued, “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. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all.

“In order to prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden. A tournament that I played earlier in my career and where I had a great time both on and off the court. Looking forward to seeing you all there.”

Nadal won the Swedish Open back in 2005, but has not appeared at the tournament since.

The event will begin this year on Monday 15th July, but it is not yet clear whether Nadal will be joined by Olympics doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz.

Inside the baseline…

Any Wimbledon without Rafael Nadal is always going to be less enjoyable, but this decision is of no surprise after he had already hinted that this would be the case. With the Olympic Games being held on the grounds of Roland Garros, Nadal will understandably believe that he has a chance to medal, either in singles or doubles, so the Spaniard will want to prepare as best as possible.

READ MORE: Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz confirmed to team up for Paris Olympics

 Join >> Receive $700/£600 of tennis gear from the Tennishead CLUB

 Social >> Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

 Read >> World’s best tennis magazine

 Shop >> Lowest price tennis gear from our trusted partner 


By
0

Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.