Rafael Nadal to miss Wimbledon to prepare for Paris Olympics: ‘Best for my body to not change surface’

Rafael Nadal confirmed on Thursday that he will opt out of the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. The Spanish tennis legend stated that he wants to keep himself fit for the upcoming Paris Olympics, which, he also confirmed, will be his last Games. Nadal took to his official X (formerly Twitter account) to announce his withdrawal from the Wimbledon.

"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. 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,” wrote Nadal.

Nadal further wrote that he will take part in the Nordea Open, the clay court tournament in the Bastad city of Sweden.

“In order to prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden. A tournament that I played earlier in my career and where I had a great time both on and off the court. Looking forward to seeing you all there. Thank you,” Nadal further wrote in his statement.

Nadal last played at Wimbledon in the 2022 edition, where he reached the semi-finals. He won two titles at the calendar's only grass-court slam – in 2008 and 2010. 2024 is likely to be Nadal's final year on the tour, meaning the Spaniard might have already made his last appearance at Wimbledon.

Nadal to team up with Alcaraz

The two Spain tennis stars – veteran Nadal and young sensation Carlos Alcaraz – will team-up to make a blockbuster men's doubles duo in the upcoming Paris Olympics. It was confirmed on Wednesday that the two Spaniards will play together in the doubles category at the Olympics, which will be on clay courts.