Nadal, still nursing left wrist injury, pulls out of Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of Wimbledon with a left wrist injury, he announced on social media on Thursday.

"I'm sad to announce that after talking to my doctors, and receiving the results of my last medical revision, I won't be able to play at Wimbledon this year," Nadal wrote on Facebook. "As you can imagine, it's a very tough decision, but the injury I suffered at Roland Garros needs time to heal."

The withdrawal doesn't exactly come as a shock.

Speaking at a press conference for Nadal's academy in Mallorca earlier this week, Toni Nadal—Rafael's uncle and coach—said, "We have not set a date for a return because the important thing is to return in full condition."

He added that, in regard to Wimbledon, the world No. 4 would "only return if at 100 percent," and that it would "depend on what the doctors say."

Nadal withdrew from the French Open after his second-round victory with a wrist injury, saying he had an inflamed tendon casing that could turn into a tear if he kept playing. The Spaniard said he planned to keep the wrist strapped for two or three weeks and then assess its condition.

On June 1, Nadal withdrew from the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament, which begins next week in London.

Nadal found his form during the clay-court season, winning the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in successive weeks in April. He then went on an impressive run in Madrid in the first week of May, but fell to Andy Murray in the semifinals.

The 14-time Grand Slam champion was picked by many to win his 10th French Open this year, and he looked absolutely dominant in his first two matches, defeating Sam Groth, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, and then Facundo Bagnis, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3. But ahead of his third-round encounter with Marcel Granollers, the veteran came to the realization that he couldn’t keep playing.

The only other time Nadal missed Wimbledon was in 2009, when he withdrew from the Slam with knee tendinitis. A two-time champion and three-time runner-up at the All England Club, he hasn't been past the fourth round since 2011.

Nadal defeated Roger Federer in 2008 for his first Wimbledon title, and then topped Tomas Berdych in 2010 for his second. He lost in the final to Federer in 2006 and 2007, and to Novak Djokovic in 2011.

Djokovic, who holds all four majors and completed the career Grand Slam with his recent title in Paris, will be the heavy favorite at Wimbledon.