Rafael Nadal, world number three has dropped his tennis racket from this month’s Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Nadal, a 20-time Grand Slam champion who won the Wimbledon titles in 2008 and 2010 needs to “recuperate after a long clay-court season”.
The 35-year-old announced the decision after his defeat by Serbia’s world number one Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals last week saying that shorter turnaround between the French Open and Wimbledon beginning at the All England Club on 28 June – was a key factor in his decision.
If Djokovic, the defending champion wins the title at the All England Club, he will move level with the record shared by Nadal and Switzerland’s Roger Federer of 20 men’s major singles titles.
Earlier this year, Nadal struggled with a back injury, playing only the Australian Open – where he lost in the quarter-finals – before the clay-court season started in mid-April.
The decision will make him miss the delayed Olympics, which start on 23 July in Tokyo.
Rafael Nadal has has won two Olympic gold medals – in the singles at Beijing 2008 and the doubles at Rio 2016.
