cnn
—
Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open for the first time since he debuted in 2005 after the 14-time champion announced Thursday that he was withdrawing from the tournament due to injury, adding that “next year will be my last year” in professional tennis.
The Spaniard suffered a hip injury during his Australian Open second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald in January and initially said he hoped to be back fit within six to eight weeks.
However, in an update posted on social media on April 20 and then again on Thursday, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said his recovery process was taking longer than expected.
Nadal also revealed that he will be off the court for the next “few months” as he continues to recover, meaning the 36-year-old will also likely miss Wimbledon.
“My ambition is to try to stop to have the opportunity to enjoy next year, which will probably be my last year on the professional circuit,” Nadal said at a news conference at his Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain.
“That's my idea, even so I can't say it 100% because you never know what can happen, but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important to me in my life. tennis career during [next] year, and just try to enjoy that, be competitive and enjoy being on the court, something that is not possible today.
“I really believe that if I keep going now, I won't be able to make it. I don't know if I stop if I can make it, but I know the chances are much greater.”
The 'King of Clay' said he intended to return for the Davis Cup Finals, which begin in September.
Roland Garros
Nadal has lost just three times at the French Open since his victorious debut in 2005, arguably one of the most dominant records in all of sport.
In 2009, he suffered one of the biggest upsets in tennis history after losing in the round of 16 to Robin Söderling, before losing to Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.
In 2016, Nadal retired before his third-round match against compatriot Marcel Granollers due to a wrist injury.
Nadal has not played since the Australian Open and in March he dropped out of the world's top 10 for the first time since 2005.
“Rafa, we can't imagine how hard this decision was” Roland Garros wrote on Twitter.” We will definitely miss you at Roland-Garros this year. Take care of yourself to return stronger to the courts.
“We hope to see you next year in Paris.”
