Rafael Nadal, the 20-time Great Slam champion, has withdrawn from the year’s third grand slam Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics. Wimbledon will begin on June 28th, while the Tokyo Olympics will begin on July 23rd.
He tweeted, “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. The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition”.
The fact that RG and Wimbledon were separated by barely two weeks didn’t make it any easier for his body to recover from the very grueling clay court season. It’s been two months of intense effort, and he’s made a decision that is focused on the medium and long term.
He stated that at this stage of his career, preventing any form of excess in his body is a critical component in order to continue competing for the highest level of competition and titles. He conveys special message to his followers all across the world, particularly those in the United Kingdom and Japan.
Conclusively, he said, “the Olympic Games always meant a lot and they were always a priority as a Sports person, I found the spirit that every sports person in the world wants to live. I personally had the chance to live 3 of them and had the honor to be the flag bearer for my country”.
Nadal last competed in the French Open semifinals, where he was defeated in four sets by World Number one Novak Djokovic. For the first time in his career, he had lost in the clay-court grand slam semifinals.
With Nadal’s absence from the Wimbledon, Djokovic will have a chance to win a record-tying 20th Grand Slam, while Swiss Tennis Maestro Roger Federer will attempt to win a record-tying 21st Grand Slam and overcome Nadal. As a result of this scenario, Nadal will have sufficient of time to prepare for the US Open.
