Rafael Nadal confirms Wimbledon withdrawal, prioritizes “last Olympics” in Paris

Rafael Nadal confirmed he will sit out the 2024 Wimbledon Championships in anticipation of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the 22-time Grand Slam champion revealed on his social media Thursday morning.

A two-time Wimbledon champion (2008, 2010), Nadal last played at the All England Club in 2022, when he reached the semifinals after having won the first two major tournaments of that season, ultimately pulling out of his scheduled match with Nick Kyrgios to end a 19-match Grand Slam winning streak.

“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,” wrote Nadal, who played what could be his final Roland Garros last month, losing in the first round to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev.

“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.”

The 38-year-old has been playing on and off through what will possibly be his final season on tour, returning to action after missing nearly all of 2023 in Australia only to pull out of the Australian Open and North American hard-court swing due to injury.

Nadal played through most of the European clay-court swing, reaching the fourth round of the Mutua Madrid Open but bowed out of Roland Garros in the first round, the 14-time champion taking only the fourth loss of his career on the terre battue.

Looking ahead to the Olympics, the 2008 gold medalist has already revealed he will play men’s doubles with countryman Carlos Alcaraz, who avenged Nadal’s defeat against Zverev to win his first title in Paris. To prepare, Nadal will next compete at the Nordea Open in Båstad, which takes place from 15-21 July following Wimbledon.