Nadal will not attend Roland Garros

Due to not recovering from injury in time, Rafael Nadal will not attend Roland Garros for the first time since his debut in the tournament in 2005.

"For the past four months, I have been working as hard as I can every day," Nadal said at a press conference announcing his withdrawal from Roland Garros on May 18. "They have been very difficult months because we could not find a solution to the problem I had in Australia. At the moment, I do not feel ready to compete at the level required at Roland Garros."

Nadal announced his withdrawal from Roland Garros at a press conference on May 18. Photo: AP

Nadal has been injured since January 19, when he lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald. He was later diagnosed with only eight weeks to recover from a hip injury. But the 36-year-old has been out for the past four months, with no set return date. "I don't know when I'll be able to train again, maybe two months, three months, four months," Nadal said.

The 14-time Roland Garros champion hinted at the possibility of retiring in 2024. "I want to try to enjoy next year," Nadal added. "My motivation is to say goodbye to all the important tournaments. 2024 will probably be my last year. Maybe I will return to Davis Cup at the end of 2023."

Nadal also revealed that he has not been able to train at the intensity he would like since the pandemic, and has been plagued by physical problems. For the first time since his Roland Garros debut in 2005, Nadal will not play a clay-court Grand Slam. He will drop out of the world's top 100 next month, after the tournament in Paris. In late April, Nadal dropped out of the world's top 10 for the first time in 18 years.

Nadal's absence means he misses out on the chance to leapfrog Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam record race. If Nole wins Roland Garros, the Serbian will take the record by himself, with 23 Grand Slams.

Vy Anh

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