Rafael Nadal is set to miss the 2024 Wimbledon Championships to prepare for the Paris Olympics, Spanish team captain David Ferrer has confirmed.
The tennis great had not been expected to feature at Wimbledon after saying it would not be “smart” to make the transition from clay to grass, then back to clay for the Olympics.
Asked about the prospect of playing Wimbledon after his opening round French Open defeat to Alexander Zverev last month, Nadal said: “It looks difficult, honestly.
“I can’t confirm what’s going on, but it looks difficult to make the transition to grass, having the Olympics again on clay. I cannot confirm anything, I have to talk with the team to analyse so many facts.
“But I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happened to my body to make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay. Today, I feel that’s not a good idea.”
This will be the sixth time Nadal will have missed Wimbledon since making his Grand Slam debut at the All England Club in 2003. He also pulled out of the grass-court Major in 2004, 2009, 2012, 2021 and 2023.
This year’s edition of Wimbledon will be held from July 1-14. The prospect of Nadal playing at Wimbledon again now appears doubtful, given the 38-year-old has revealed this will likely be the final season of his career.
Nadal defeated Taylor Fritz in five sets in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in his last match at the tournament. The former world No 1 was forced to pull out before his semi-final match with Nick Kyrgios due to an abdominal tear he suffered against Fritz.
According to reports, Nadal is considering playing the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg as preparation for the Olympics. The clay-court event will run from July 15-21, with the Olympic tennis event set to begin on July 27.
As well as appearing in singles, the 22-time Grand Slam champion will partner Carlos Alcaraz in a dream Spanish Olympic doubles team.
Nadal is a two-time Olympic gold medallist, having won the singles event at the 2008 Beijing Games and the men’s doubles tournament in Rio in 2016 with partner Marc Lopez.
Ferrer, who is the captain of Spain’s Olympic and Davis Cup teams, expressed the value of Nadal being fresh for the Paris Games as he confirmed his compatriot would not play Wimbledon.
“I think Rafa will arrive in Paris very well,” the former world No 3 said. “His goal is the Olympics and he has not been worn out excessively all year because he has been with the injury, and that is important for him, to arrive mentally fresh.
“And after Roland Garros, where he already competed at a high level, I am confident that he will give us joy.”
