May 18, (THEWILL) – Rafael Nadal, the renowned 22-time Grand Slam champion, has officially withdrawn from the French Open citing fitness concerns.
The Spanish tennis star has been absent from the court since his second-round defeat at the Australian Open in January. In a press conference held on Thursday afternoon, Nadal formally announced his decision not to participate in the tournament. He disclosed his plans to take an undisclosed period of rest before making a comeback next year, which he anticipates will mark his final year in professional competition.
Reflecting on his aspirations, Nadal expressed his desire to savour his last year on the tour and bid farewell to the significant tournaments. He stated, “My ambition is to try to enjoy next year, which will probably be my last year in professional competition. My motivation is to try to say goodbye to all the important tournaments.”
Despite his previous efforts to regain fitness and defend his title as a 14-time champion, Nadal has been unable to overcome his persistent injury issues. These problems first arose when he withdrew from the Wimbledon semi-finals last year and have continued to hinder his return to top form. Following the conclusion of last year’s US Open, Nadal made a late-season appearance at the Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.
He also participated in two matches at the United Cup earlier this year before exiting the Australian Open in the second round against Mackenzie McDonald. Initially, Nadal had predicted an absence of up to eight weeks due to a grade two iliopsoas tear, but he has not competed since then. With Nadal’s withdrawal from the French Open, he is set to drop out of the top 100 in the world rankings.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
