As expected, Rafael Nadal has decided to skip Wimbledon in favour of competing in a clay-court competition in Bastad as a means of getting ready for the London Olympics.
In contrast to moving to grass for the All England Club and then having to return to clay for the Summer Games, the 22-time Grand Slam champion stated on Thursday that he simply wants to stay on clay.
The tennis sport at the Summer Games will take place at Roland Garros beginning on July 27. It is the French Open venue, where Nadal has won an unprecedented 14 titles. Nadal was asked about his participation at Wimbledon, to which he replied: “It looks difficult, honestly. For me, now, I can’t confirm what’s going on, but it looks difficult to make a transition to grass, having the Olympics again on clay. But I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happened to my body. To now make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay.”
Nadal has been seen training hard on clay to be ready for the Olympics, and it appears that he is hitting powerful volleys on the court.
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Rafael Nadal in 2024
Now the world no.258, the Spaniard played his last match on the 27th of May when he lost to world no.4 Alexander Zverev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 in the 1st round of the French Open (draw).
Presently, during this year the Spaniard has achieved an overall 7-5 match record.
He is also scheduled to play in Bastad (Nordea Open) after Wimbledon. The main draw will start on the 1st of July.
