CNN
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Rafael Nadal Will be missed French Open For the first time since their debut in 2005 The 14-time champion announced on Thursday that he had withdrawn from the tournament due to injury, adding that “next year is my last year” in professional tennis.
The Spaniard suffered a hip injury during the second round. Defeated at the Australian Open Mackenzie met Macdonald in January and initially said he hoped to be fit again in six to eight weeks.
However, in an update posted on social media on April 20 and again on Thursday, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said his recovery process was taking longer than expected.
Nadal also revealed he will be off the court for the next “few months” as he recovers, meaning the 36-year-old will miss Wimbledon.
Speaking at a press conference at his Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain, Nadal said, “I want to try to give myself a chance to enjoy next year, maybe professionally.” This will be my last year on tour.
“That’s my idea, even then I can’t say 100% because you never know what can happen – but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important to me. During his tennis career [next] year, and just try to enjoy it, to be competitive and enjoy being on the court, something that is not possible today.
“I really believe, if I keep going right now, I won’t be able to. I don’t know if I’ll stop or not, but I know the chances are very high.”
The ‘King of Clay’ said he plans to return for the Davis Cup finals starting in September.
Roland Garros
Nadal has lost just three times at the French Open since his triumphant debut in 2005, arguably one of the most dominant records in all of sports.
In 2009, he suffered one of the biggest upsets in tennis history after losing to Robin Soderling in the round of 16, before defeating Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.
In 2016, Nadal withdrew due to a wrist injury before his third-round match against compatriot Marcel Granollers.
Nadal has not played since the Australian Open and dropped out of the world top 10 for the first time since 2005 in March.
“Rafa, we can’t imagine how difficult this decision was.” Roland Garros wrote on Twitter“We will definitely miss you at this year’s Roland-Garros. Take care to come back strong on the courts.
“Hope to see you in Paris next year.”