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Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal has pulled out of Roland-Garros due to injury, saying he will take time off to recover for what he expects to be his last year on the professional tennis tour.
During a press conference in Mallorca, Spain on Thursday (Friday morning AEST) Nadal said he’d not been able to fully enjoy his tennis since the pandemic due to constant injury issues and had come to the conclusion that “I need to stop”.
The 36-year-old said he planned to take anywhere from six weeks to several months off to give himself the best chance to enjoy next year.
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“I am not the guy who likes to predict a lot the future so I’m just following my personal feelings and just following what I really believe it’s the right thing to do for my body and for my personal happiness,” he said.
“So that’s the thing. I don’t want to put myself in a position to say one thing and then do another thing but my goal or my ambition is to try to stop to give myself an opportunity to enjoy next year, that’s probably going to be my last year on the professional tour.”
The 22-time Grand Slam winner said even with a prolonged break, he wasn’t “100 per cent” sure he would be able to return.
“My idea and my motivation is try to enjoy and try to say goodbye of all the tournaments that have been important for me in my tennis career during this year [2024],” he said.
“And just try to enjoy that, being competitive and enjoying being on court, something that today is not possible now.”
Nadal last played at the Australian Open where his title defence was ruined by a hip flexor injury in the second round.
Since his injury at Melbourne Park in January, Nadal has missed events in Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, as well as this week’s Italian Open.
Prior to his announcement, Nadal had hoped to make a return at Roland-Garros, a tournament he has made his own since winning it for the first time in 2005.
The Spaniard’s withdrawal leaves a massive void in the men’s draw and comes after long-time rival Roger Federer’s retirement last year.
Nadal sits equal with Novak Djokovic on a record 22 men’s grand slam titles, and has won Roland-Garros a record 14 times, including last year to become the tournament’s oldest champion at 36.
He is known as the king of clay, having won 63 of his 92 titles on the surface, which Rolland-Garros is played on.
Nadal’s 92 career titles rank him fifth in the Open era behind Jimmy Connors, Federer, Ivan Lendl and Djokovic. He also ranks fifth for finals appearances (130) and finals winning percentage (70.8 per cent).
Play begins at Roland-Garros in Paris on May 28.
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