Last Updated on October 31, 2021
No Wimbledon and no Olympics. This is the decision of Rafa Nadal. The Spanish champion, back from the defeat against Novak Djokovic on the red brick of Bois de Boulogne, announced it on social channels. “It’s never an easy decision to make but after listening to my body and discussing with my team, I realized it’s the right choice to make.
The goal is obviously to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, which is to compete at the highest level and continue to fight for professional and personal goals at the highest level,” he explained during a long message.
Clear then both the motivations and the timing. The Spaniard, before approaching Paris, had closed his string of red tournaments with two victories (Barcelona and Rome) and two quarter-finals. Reached first in Monte-Carlo and then in Madrid.
The Spaniard’s message on social networks
We hope to see you next year, @RafaelNadal 👊#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/1SxCgyLRLd
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 17, 2021
In short: the Spanish phenomenon will not participate in the Championships for the first time since 2016 (when he had decided to stop for the same problem that had prevented him from taking the court against Marcel Granollers in Paris) and will give up the Olympic Games for the second time.
In 2012, too, it was the physical that had said no. “The fact that only two weeks passed between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, did not facilitate my recovery after a challenging season. It’s been an intense two months and the decision is meant for the medium and long term.
Prevention is an important factor at this stage of my career to try to continue fighting for the highest level of competition” The two-time Wimbleodon champion, as well as gold medalist in both singles and doubles, obviously sent a final message.
“I want to dedicate it to all the fans, the British and Japanese in particular. The Olympics have always meant a lot to me and have always been a priority for a sportsman like me. I’ve had the opportunity to experience three of them and had the honor of being my country’s flag bearer.”
