Doubt had hovered since the end of his Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal has finally decided to throw in the towel for Wimbledon (June 28-July 11) and the Olympics (July 23-August 8). Physically affected after his epic semi-final against Novak Djokovic, future winner of the competition, the Spaniard prefers to preserve himself for the end of the season. “It’s never an easy decision to make but after listening to my body and discussing it with my team, I think it’s the right thing to do., he explains this Thursday on Twitter. The goal is to extend my career and continue to do what makes me happy, which is to play at the highest level. ”
After his defeat at Roland Garros last week, the world number 3 expressed his doubts at a press conference about his participation for the grass season and Wimbledon (which he won in 2008 and 2010): “I need to breathe a bit. I’m not 25, 26 or 27 anymore, now I’m 35. I have to see how I recover, at all levels, and I will decide if I play in London or not. I cannot make this decision now, I have neither the physical state nor the lucidity to do it. ” Sunday, Guy Forget, the director of the Parisian Grand Slam, then explained in a press conference that the Spaniard was visibly “Physically affected” on the end of the match. “I don’t think his age had anything to do with it. It was rather a little pain in the foot. Once again, he had the elegance not to talk about it at all. “
“Demanding season”
This is not the first time that Rafael Nadal has been cut off because of his physique. Feet, back, abdominals, left wrist, and especially his knees which kept him away from the courts for several months… The list of his injuries has been long since the start of his career. The game of the Spaniard, very physically demanding, did not spare him. It’s almost surprising to see him still playing at the top level at 35. Like Roger Federer, 39, who forfeited him at Roland Garros before his round of 16 against Italian Matteo Berrettini to be in good shape for Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal preferred not to take any risk in the face of a schedule disrupted by the health crisis.
“The fact that there were only two weeks between Roland Garros and Wimbledon did not facilitate the recovery of my body after the always demanding season on clay, he justifies himself on Twitter. These two months have been marked by great efforts and the decision I am making is focused on the medium and long term. ” The Spaniard had already had to forfeit the London Games in 2012 due to a knee injury. He who, unlike other players, has always attached importance to this competition, won the gold medal in singles in Beijing in 2008 and in doubles in Rio in 2016 with his compatriot Marc Lopez. “The Olympics have always been a big part of my career and have been a priority as a sportsman, he specifies. I found the state of mind that every athlete in the world wants to know. I had the chance to experience it intensely three times [2004, 2008 et 2016] and to have had the honor of being the flag bearer of my countryIn Rio in 2016. This year, the Games will be without him, causing Spain to lose an important chance for a medal.
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