Rafael Nadal won’t go to Wimbledon to chase down Roger Federer’s record 21 Grand Slam titles, after announcing that he won’t compete at SW19 or the Olympic Games later this year.
The 35-year-old 20-time majors winner missed out on a chance to catch the Swiss maestro when his bid for a record-extending French Open title was ended by eventual winner Novak Djokovic in an epic semifinal last Friday night.
And with Wimbledon starting next Monday, the Spaniard says he needs more time to recover from his efforts.
He explained in a string of tweets: “Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
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
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 17, 2021
“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.
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 he maximum level of competition.
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 17, 2021
“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.”