Rafa and Wimbledon, a perilous relationship

On Thursday, Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon with the same left wrist injury that forced him out of Roland Garros. It's not the first time the Spaniard and the grass-court major haven’t gotten on well. Since winning his second title at Wimbledon in 2010, Nadal has taken some major punches at SW19:

It was Nadal’s fifth consecutive final at the All England Club (though he withdrew from the 2009 tournament with knee tendinitis). But the top seed was toppled by an on-fire Novak Djokovic, who would win three majors that season, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. "I lose because I am playing against the best player of the moment, the best player of the world tomorrow, and I am the second,” said Nadal, after losing his fifth consecutive match to Djokovic. The loss would set off years of heartache for Nadal in London.

With the roof closed above Centre Court, Nadal was stunned in the second round by world No. 100 Lukas Rosol, 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. It was the first time Nadal had lost before the third round at Wimbledon since 2005, while it was Rosol’s main-draw debut at the grass-court major. “He played special,” said Nadal.

It got worse for Nadal before it got (slightly) better. This time, he took a first-round loss to world No. 135 Steve Darcis. The upset was made more stunning by the straight-sets scoreline, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (8), 6-4. “Everything that I will say today about my knee is an excuse, and I don't like to put any excuse when I'm losing a match like I lost today,” said Nadal, whose health was questioned. "He deserve not one excuse."

Nadal appeared to rediscover his footing on the turf in 2014, even getting revenge over Rosol in the second round. But he was sent packing two rounds later by 144th-ranked teenager by the name of Nick Kyrgios, 7-6 (5), 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3. "I am satisfied the way that I played this Wimbledon,” the Spaniard insisted.

Once again, Nadal’s path towards another title in London was cut short in the first week—this time to Dustin Brown in the second round. It marked Nadal's fourth loss at Wimbledon to players ranked outside the Top 100. "Accept the defeat and congratulate my opponent, and that's it,” said Nadal.

The world No. 4 won’t have a chance to suffer an early-round exit this summer, as he’ll be completely missing from the draw. “It's a very tough decision, but the injury I suffered at Roland Garros needs time to heal,” Nadal said.