Rafael Nadal says that he will skip Wimbledon so that he can focus on clay-court training ahead of the Paris Olympics in July.
Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion and two-time winner at Wimbledon, will participate in the Olympics in the men’s singles tournament, as well as the men’s doubles competition with Carlos Alcaraz, who won the French Open on Sunday.
Both events will be on the clay courts of Roland Garros, as will the Nordea Open in Båstad, Sweden, which Nadal said Thursday he will play in as part of his Olympic preparation.
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.
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, who turned 38 on June 3, has dealt with injuries to his hip and abdomen over the last two years, which included surgery in 2023. This will likely be his final year on tour and he is eyeing a second Olympic singles gold medal after winning in 2008. He also won doubles gold in 2016.
Nadal won twice at Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010 and was runner-up three times.
The Paris Olympics begin July 26 and will run through Aug. 11.
