Spain’s Rafa Nadal Pulls Out Of Wimbledon And Olympics

SPAIN’S Rafa Nadal Pulls Out Of Wimbledon And The Olympic Games

Rafael Nadal, Spain’s 35-year-old legendary tennis star announced today, Thursday 17, his intention not to compete at Wimbledon, nor in the upcoming Olympic Games, saying that his health must come first.

Nadal said in a statement conveyed by his management, “It is a decision that is never easy to make, and after listening to my body and talking to my team, I understand that it is the right one, with the aim of extending my sports career and continuing to do what makes me happy; compete at the highest level and continue to fight for professional and personal challenges at the highest level in a competitive manner”.

Having only just finished the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris, a tournament which was moved back one week due to the pandemic, Nadal – from Manacor in Mallorca – points to the fact that his body does not recuperate as quickly as it did when he was younger.

With the short period leading up to the start of Wimbledon on June 28, there simply isn’t long enough for him, as he explained, “The fact that there are only two weeks has not helped my body to recover from the always demanding clay-court season. It has been two months of great effort – 22 games – and the decision I make is focused on the medium and long term”.

His decision also affects the Tokyo Olympics at the end of July, which will be a sad loss for tennis fans across the globe not to Spain’s Rafa Nadal competing in Tokyo, but only he knows what is right for his body, and after winning 20 Grand Slam titles, at least he has the intention to continue playing, albeit in less tournaments it would seem.

Roger Federer, with whom he shares the historical record, and number one, Novak Djokovic, will both appear on the famous Wimbledon grass, with the former obviously looking to win the title and move ahead of Nadal in the record books.

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