Rafael Nadal says he will not play Wimbledon and instead will prepare for the Olympics in Sweden
trophy as he celebrates his defeat of Switzerland’s Roger Federer in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon, Sunday, July 6, 2008. Nadal is going to skip Wimbledon, as expected, and instead prepare for the Paris Olympics by entering a clay-court tournament in Bastad, Sweden. The 22-time Grand Slam champion said Thursday, June 13, 2024, he wants to just remain on clay, rather than switching over to grass for the All England Club and then needing to go back to clay.(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)
FILE – Spain’s Rafael Nadal plays a shot against Germany’s Alexander Zverev during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 27, 2024. Nadal is going to skip Wimbledon, as expected, and instead prepare for the Paris Olympics by entering a clay-court tournament in Bastad, Sweden. The 22-time Grand Slam champion said Thursday, June 13, 2024, he wants to just remain on clay, rather than switching over to grass for the All England Club and then needing to go back to clay. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
Spain’s Rafael Nadal leaves the court after losing against Germany’s Alexander Zverev during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Wimbledon Tennis Nadal
FILE – Spain’s Rafael Nadal holds his trophy as he celebrates his defeat of Switzerland’s Roger Federer in the men’s singles final at Wimbledon, Sunday, July 6, 2008. Nadal is going to skip Wimbledon, as expected, and instead prepare for the Paris Olympics by entering a clay-court tournament in Bastad, Sweden. The 22-time Grand Slam champion said Thursday, June 13, 2024, he wants to just remain on clay, rather than switching over to grass for the All England Club and then needing to go back to clay.(AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)ASSOCIATED PRESSMore
Rafael Nadal is going to skip Wimbledon, as expected, and instead prepare for the Paris Olympics by entering a clay-court tournament in Bastad, Sweden, he hasn’t been to in 19 years.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, who turned 38 on June 3, said Thursday he wants to just remain on clay, rather than switching over to grass for the All England Club, then needing to go back to clay for the Summer Games.
“We believe that the best for my body is not to change surface,” Nadal said in a statemen
He has been dealing with hip and abdominal injuries over the past 1 1/2 years, including having surgery in 2023, and has been forced to play a limited schedule. Nadal was defeated in the first round of the French Open late last month by eventul runner-up Alexander Zverev — markingthe first time in Nadal’s career he hs lost consecutive matches on claames will hold the tennis competition at Roland Garros starting on July 27. That is the site of the French Open, where Nadal has won a record 14 titles.
Nadal will play doubles — with Carlos Alcaraz — and singles at the OIympics, Spanish men’s tennis captain David Ferrer said Wednesday. Alcaraz, 21, won the French Open on Sunday for his third Grand Slam title. He is the youngest man to own major championships on all three surfaces.
