Rafael Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon, Olympics

Rafael Nadal, the world number three, has withdrawn from this month’s Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner, who won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010, believes he needs to “recover from a long clay-court season.”

“It’s never an easy decision but after listening to my body and discussing it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” said the Spaniard.

“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy.”

“That is to compete at the top level and continuing battling for those professional and personal aspirations at the highest level of competition,” the 35-year-old stated.

After losing in the semi-finals of the French Open against Serbia’s world number one Novak Djokovic last week, Nadal hinted at his decision.

If defending champion Djokovic wins the title at the All England Club, he will tie Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer for the most men’s major singles titles (20).

The shorter time between the French Open and Wimbledon, according to Nadal, was a major influence in his decision.

There are only two weeks between the end of the French Open on clay and the start of Wimbledon on grass this year. The interval between the two majors is usually three weeks.

The French Open was postponed a week by Roland Garros organizers in order to begin the tournament with fewer of the country’s coronavirus restrictions in effect, including permitting spectators in.

“The fact that there has only been two weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon didn’t make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay-court season,” Nadal said in a Twitter post announcing the news.

“They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term.”

With a back ailment earlier this year, Nadal only competed in the Australian Open, which he lost in the quarterfinals, before the clay-court season began in mid-April.

The Mallorcan left-hander won trophies in Barcelona and Rome on his preferred surface before falling to Djokovic at Roland Garros.

“Sport prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a very important factor at this stage of my career in order to try to keep fighting for the highest level of competition and titles,” Nadal added.