Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympic Games, the Spaniard has announced.
The 35-year-old posted a long Twitter thread to announce that he would not play at the two events, explaining that he has made the decision in order to prolong his career following talks with his team.
He has not explicitly suggested that there is an existing injury.
“Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” Nadal tweeted.
“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 he maximum level of competition.
“The fact that there has only been 2 weeks between RG and Wimbledon, didn’t make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay court season.
“They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term.
“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 recently relinquished his French Open title to Novak Djokovic.
He had won the previous four editions at Roland Garros but suffered a shock semi-final exit after being beaten by Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-6 6-2.
Nadal was trying to win his 14th French Open title and will likely try again next year following his break.
Djokovic proceeded to defeat 22-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas in a sensational final.
The 34-year-old came back from two sets down to beat the Greek 6–7 2–6 6–3 6–2 6–4.
Djokovic will attempt to win his 20th Grand Slam at Wimbledon, which would put him level with Nadal and fellow member of the big three Roger Federer.
The Tokyo Olympics have been rearranged for this summer after they were postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Games start on July 4 and end on August 1.
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