By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday June 7, 2021
Citing a lack of time for proper recovery, Rafael Nadal has pulled out of Wimbledon and the Olympics this summer.
Photo Source: Getty
A long grueling clay-court season has left Rafael Nadal with not enough time to properly prepare his body for the rigors of grass. The Spaniard announced that he will be skipping Wimbledon—and the Olympic Games at Tokyo—this summer in order to rest and recuperate.
“I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” the two-time Wimbledon champion and Olympic singles and doubles Gold medalist said on social media. “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.”
Nadal says that the two-week window between Roland-Garros and Wimbledon played a role in his 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,” Nadal said, adding: “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.”