Rafael Nadal has won two Wimbledon titles and reached the final on three other occasions in a glittering career at the All England Club.
But the 38-year-old has been beset by injury issues over the last couple of years that have prevented him from playing much tennis.
Will the 22-time grand slam title winner be playing on the grass courts in 2024?
The Sporting News has all the latest.
MORE: When does Wimbledon 2024 start?
Will Rafael Nadal play at Wimbledon 2024?
Nadal has been confirmed to have withdrawn from the Wimbledon 2024 singles main draw.
However it’s not injury that is keeping Nadal from playing at the All England Club.
After losing at the recent French Open in the first round to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev, Nadal wants to focus his preparation for the upcoming Paris Olympics – which will be held through late July and August.
With the Olympics tournament to be played on clay, Nadal wants to continue playing and training on the same surface he last played on at Roland-Garros – and not transition to Wimbledon’s grass in between.
“During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practising on clay,” Nadal wrote on X on June 13.
“It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics.
With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of…
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 13, 2024
“With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then.
“It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at The Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all.”
Nadal’s next tournament will be the Swedish Open in Bastad, which is a clay tournament commencing on July 8.
The Spaniard has competed in Bastad on three occasions, winning the event in 2005 with victory against Tomas Berdych.
Andrey Rublev is the reigning champion in Bastad, while Jannik Sinner is currently booked to play in the 2024 event.
