Rafael Nadal To Miss Wimbledon, Olympics To Rest Body

by Sean Randall | June 17th, 2021, 10:02 am
  • 26 Comments

Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from Wimbledon and the Olympics citing the need to rest his body, the 20-time Grand Slam champion announced today.

“Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” Nadal posted on social media.

“The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at he maximum level of competition.

“The fact that there has only been 2 weeks between RG and Wimbledon, didn’t make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay court season. They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term.

“Sport prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a very important factor at this stage of my career in order to try to keep fighting for the highest level of competition and titles.

“I want to send a special message to my fans around the world, to those in the United Kingdom and Japan in particular.

“The Olympic Games always meant a lot and they were always a priority as a Sports person, I found the spirit that every sports person in the world wants to live. I personally had the chance to live 3 of them and had the honor to be the flag bearer for my country.”

The 35-year-old Nadal is a 2-time Wimbledon champion and he won the 2008 singles gold and the 2016 doubles gold at the Olympic games.

It was just six days ago when Nadal and Novak Djokovic battled in an epic French Open semifinal. This will be the fourth time in his career Nadal will miss Wimbledon. He didn’t play the Olympics in 2012 but did in 2004, 2008 and 2016.

By missing Wimbledon, Nadal will not be in the Grand Slam title lead going into New York. Roger Federer can still reach 21 at Wimbledon while Djokovic can tie at 20.


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26 Comments for Rafael Nadal To Miss Wimbledon, Olympics To Rest Body

Giles Says:

Wise decision. Vamos Champ!
Come on Fed!


Tennis Vagabond Says:

Big shame, big hole in the tournament.


Daniel Says:

He has to listen to his body. At the end of RG Djoko semis it was clear he would last longer. It was one of the first times I saw Nadal totally depleted in a Slam match after 4hours. One thing was that AO 6h final and they were 9 years younger. The age and milage hit him hard this time.


Giles Says:

Nothing seems to phase joker. He soldiers on for hours and hours and hours and……… Would love to know his secret!


Miloš Says:

Gilles you probably liked Đoković more back when he had asthma problems and gluten allergies, and was forfeiting matches. But even then he was very competitive. Hater 😋


chrisford1 Says:

Oh, come on Rafa!
The guy is taking his loss like his mom just died and he has gone into seclusion so no one will see he has been crying for hours every day. He just seems to be in no mood to play tennis, not even on his home island!
Rafa was not injured at the French, not showing signs his back or knee issues were bothering him. I don’t buy the “need to rest” excuse. I think it’s because he knows he would have lost Wimbledon for sure to Djoker as well – had they played – and couldn’t handle that thought.
With the Olympics out, not on “need to rest”, but for reasons like: He already has a gold medal, doesn’t need the money, or the long travel and Covid hassles Japan would be. And Spain has lots of good talent loving the prospect of an open tennis spot on the Olympic Team because Rafa is not coming, so it’s not like Nadal is shafting Spain or Spanish tennis and showing a lack of patriotism. Not to mention Rafa’s Davis Cup history.
I suspect it’s going to be a long pleasant summer of Rafa, Xisca, and his buddies (all now slowly moving to middle age) – aboard his new personal 80′ Sunreef megamillions yacht. No thoughts of tennis save when to get ready for the US Open Aug 30th, if….he is well enough rested by then.


Giles Says:

CIF. Is a good cleaning product so that’s your name from now on.
You and your faker fan are FOS. How dare you criticise Rafa’s sportsmanship!! The man takes his wins and his losses like the sportsman he is. He doesn’t ask for toilet breaks when he is down in the score nor call for the trainer to have a quick massage like your faker fan keeps doing. So just STFU and concentrate on faker. Ask him what’s in the snacks he chews. Lots of Peds is my guess. 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😊


Giles Says:

Rafa has won 13 French opens. Rafa has an Olympic singles Gold. Rafa has an Olympic Doubles Gold. Faker is still floundering around in search of either or both of these. I remember when Rafa beat him in 2008 Olympics SF. Geez I almost felt sorry for the faker when he left the court in tears. Crying like a baby he was. Sheesh!


Giles Says:

https://twitter.com/genny_ss/status/1405498149184081921?s=21
And CIF has the cheek to say rafa was fine.
Asshole!


Alison hodge Says:

Blimey not everything in tennis revolves around Djokovic, it’s quite possible that Rafa has pulled out of Wimbledon for his own reasons….


Wog Boy Says:

CF1, your observation does make a sense, he is more mentally hurt than physically, even his uncle Toni just few days ago was talking that he thinks that Rafa will win either Wimbledon or USO and he suddenly takes long brake.

Some Rafa fans are showing signs of serious mental distress, they should check up with their GP and ask GP for some antidepressants, it’s dangerous if left untreated, just my friendly advice.

Get well Rafa, don’t worry, Nole is in Mallorca for you, to promote your very new tournament, that’s what the friends are for.


Wog Boy Says:

“ He doesn’t ask for toilet breaks …”

Really, are we talking about this Nadal or there is another Nadal, hasn’t he taken prolonged bathroom brake after losing tough second set against Nole (I haven’t seen first two sets, but here they say he did):

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.eurosport.com/tennis/roland-garros/2021/french-open-where-did-that-come-from-novak-djokovic-laughs-at-rafael-nadal-brilliance-with-mad-shot_sto8369726/story-amp.shtml


chrisford1 Says:

Looks like I hit a nerve with Giles, and it seems his angry and abusive personality goes past being an act. ***The type of fan that if he ever met with easygoing Rafa would have Nadal say “Something is wrong with you, no?? I hope you be more happy soon….”***

Rafa’s got it beat, he has nothing to prove. He can kick back all summer. But as Wog Boy said, its more about mental rest and recovery than physical. It’s still worrisome to me because all the pros had beaucoup Covid-caused downtime in the last year and a half for mental and physical rest. While all the players have had more “rest” than normal in the last year and a half, you have some players seemingly hit by malaise, inc. Rafa, Osaka, Serena, Fed, Thiem. Just not where you would expect them to be with the extra time off and extra training since Feb 2020.
And it would help Rafa’s case about “stopping play to preserve his ability to play longer” – if this did not follow him hitting every clay venue he usually hits if he was not feeling right..


Giles Says:

That bloke from down under needs to polish up his English. Half the time I have to guess what he means, his English is so bad. Even though I might add , he thinks he’s God’s gift .
Correction for him – Not “compulsory lier” but “ compulsive liar” .
I think he drinks too much which obviously causes confusion.
How is jokers boyfriend Pepe, these days?
Never mind WB, hope your fan enjoys the cheating as much as he can. Everything will be revealed sooner rather than later! Wonder what he laces his dates with? Lol


Wog Boy Says:

If that’s all you can object in my posts I am happy and I am more than happy with my English and as long as you understood what I meant, you did and that is that you are liar, as I have shown above.

You sound like you missed your therapy, you sound like a desperate housewife even you are claiming that you are man…which I doubt.


Giles Says:

^^ Lol. Just wondering if it’s time for your booze medication? You indulge in booze and joker indulges in drugs! Tut tut tut.


RAFA GAL Says:

Chrisford 1…you don’t seem to be a RAFA Fan. I think your condesending comments are very judgmental. He’s not a liar. He’s just letting us know why he won’t be playing in those tournaments. Obviously you don’t believe him. Don’t you just hate it when people are so JUDGEMENTAL???


Django Says:

Who cares why Nadal takes 2 months off?
Let him take a year off, no skin off my nose.
😉


Nenad Says:

Just put the word “head” instead of “body” in the title.


chrisford1 Says:

RAFA GIRL – To the contrary, I greatly respect Rafa and was expressing my disappointment with him.
And it is not personal so much as it is about the business, and my belief that if you are in a job, with commitments and obligations, and as part of the job other people’s money is sunk in promoting you as a star, giving you copious airtime when you do feel like showing up to play.
Most tennis stars money from this sort of side to the tennis business greatly exceeds their prize money over the years.
And from the sponsors, the ATP/WTA execs, event owner/organizers, media and especially the players fans all want this to grow. But the “graying’ of tennis and preservation of the older players as stars only works if they are engaged and still regularly showing up for the job and trying to play great tennis.
This can block promising newcomers from sponsor revenue outside prize money, getting any airtime, and becoming stars in their own right. (Not when the talk is all about Rafa not playing grass anymore to extend his career, or how wonderful “Age is but a Number!” Venus Williams takes her customary US wildcard and will be back at Wimbledon for lots of airtime and product display before she is ousted in the 1st round .)
The sport needs some retirements, soon. I’m thinking Fed, the Williams Sistas, 4 great French players in their mid-30s. But not Rafa.
He’s doing it because Fed faced no repercussions with his sponsors when he went into semi-retirement to prolong his career, so why not Rafa?


skeezer Says:

CF1,
You have no clue how the aging tennis pro progresses so stop trying to make up stuff about how they are suppose to do this or that. It all sounds so……judgemental.
Be happy your joker works in a time with aging tennis superstars like Fedal so he can shine. Without them he wouldn’t have gotten the pixie dust from there magnificence that now makes him good.


Wog Boy Says:

It’s not nice to say but I can see lot of butthurt people here, though I do understand them, one group is hurt since their man was convincingly beaten and RG crown has been taken from him, the other group is hurt because their man lost his GOAT crown (even Shean agrees), well, tomorrow it will someone else who is going to the crown from Nole, though his name won’t be Rafa or Roger, such is life.


Wog Boy Says:

^^
Just in a case Gisele the Grammar Police reads it, I am pretty sure you’ll get it, even with my bad English😉

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