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Rafael Nadal to miss Wimbledon, Olympic Games

The 20-time Grand Slam champion cited a desire "to prolong his career...and compete at the highest level" in a statement posted to social media.

ByDavid Kane

Published Jun 17, 2021

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Rafael Nadal revealed on social media Thursday morning that he would miss both the Wimbledon Championships and Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion, who cites the two-week turnaround between Roland Garros and Wimbledon as critical to his decision, first won an Olympic Gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2008—and later won gold in doubles with Marc Lopez in 2016. He last hoisted the Wimbledon trophy in 2010.

Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 17, 2021

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“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy,” Nadal wrote in his statement, “that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition.”

Nadal endured only his third career loss at Roland Garros last week when he bowed out to eventual champion Novak Djokovic. Djokovic went on to win a 19th major title and put himself a mere two wins from surpassing Nadal and Roger Federer in total major victories.

The 35-year-old Spaniard won the US Open in his most recent appearance in 2019, and is likely aiming to return for the North American summer hard-court swing following the Olympics.

The tennis world promptly took to Twitter to wish the No. 1 well as he begins his recovery:

We hope to see you next year, @RafaelNadal 👊#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/1SxCgyLRLd
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 17, 2021

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Rafael Nadal announces he's pulling out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics

The Spaniard cited the need to preserve his body in order to "keep fighting for professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition"

Get well soon, @RafaelNadal 🙏 pic.twitter.com/E5x8rGKglX
— ITF (@ITFTennis) June 17, 2021

We'll miss this guy at The Championships

🎥: @Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/5eLcYkv7F0
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 17, 2021

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Wow. @RafaelNadal has pulled out of @Wimbledon and the Olympic. Big blow
— Patrick McEnroe (@PatrickMcEnroe) June 17, 2021

No doubt can still win on hardcourts and knows 100% what is best for him https://t.co/BPQ8LBtK2R
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) June 17, 2021

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No surprise that Rafael Nadal will not play at Wimbledon or the Olympics, but the Olympics must have been a tough decision given how important the event is to him.

Any pragmatic decision with the future in mind is a good decision for these 34yo+ athletes, in my opinion.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) June 17, 2021

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