Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday that he will miss 2024 Wimbledon to instead focus on preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This news is huge as it could've been Nadal's final Wimbledon. He's a two-time Wimbledon champion, winning the tournament in 2008 and 2010. Although he hasn't officially made a retirement decision public, he's hinted over the last year that this year could be his final year on the tour.
His decision to miss Wimbledon boiled down to him wanting to solely train on clay courts for the Olympics, in which he will partner up with fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. He doesn't want to shift his training and play on grass courts in between.
"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," Nadal wrote on social media. "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."
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…
The 38-year-old has missed quite a bit of the season already because of abdominal injuries. He missed nearly the entire 2023 season because of a hip injury, meaning he also was absent for the 2023 Wimbledon tournament.
Nadal wrote that he will play in the Nordea Open in mid-July, which is played in Bastad, Sweden. It is a clay court tournament.
MADISON WILLIAMS
Madison Williams is a Staff Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated, where she has covered the entire sports landscape since 2022. She specializes in tennis, but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining Sports Illustrated, Madison worked with The Sporting News. She hails from Augustana College and completed a Master’s in Sports Media at Northwestern University. Madison is a dog mom and an avid reader.
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