RAFAEL NADAL ANNOUNCES DISAPPOINTING DECISION ON WIMBLEDON

Rafael Nadal will compete at the Paris Olympics this summer alongside three-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz. What he won't be doing this summer is competing for another title at Wimbledon. 

On Thursday morning, Nadal addressed all the speculation surrounding his schedule for this summer. 

Nadal, 38, revealed that he won't be at Wimbledon this year because he doesn't want to change up his playing surface at this stage in his process. After all, the Olympics will be played on the clay courts in France.   

"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 wrote. "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 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."

Nadal finished off his letter to the fans by announcing that he'll participate in next month's tournament in Bastad, Sweden. 

While it's unfortunate that Nadal won't be at Wimbledon, his reasoning makes sense. It's also worth noting that he hasn't won the event since 2010, so putting unnecessary stress on his body would be unwise. 

Related: Rafael Nadal Teaming Up With Carlos Alcaraz For 2024 Olympics

2024-06-13T13:27:59Z