Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion and winner of a record 14 French Open titles, has announced his withdrawal from this year’s tournament due to an ongoing foot injury and a desire to rest after an exhausting few months. This marks the first time Nadal will be absent from the tournament since his debut there in 2005. Nadal has confirmed that this year’s tournament will be his last before retirement. The Spanish tennis star intends to enjoy his final year on the professional tour, which he expects to be in 2022.
Injuries have taken a toll on Nadal, who has missed several Grand Slam events in recent years due to various health issues. This year, he missed Wimbledon and the US Open, while he also skipped the Australian Open in 2020 and the US Open in 2019. Nadal hoped to recover in time to represent Spain in the Davis Cup finals, which start in September.
Nadal has had a phenomenal career, winning every Grand Slam tournament at least twice and boasting a 112-3 career record at Roland Garros in Paris. He is tied with Novak Djokovic for the most career men’s Grand Slam singles titles with 22. With Nadal set to retire, Roger Federer having already retired and Andy Murray seemingly nearing the end of his career, Djokovic may soon be the only remaining member of the “Big Four” that dominated men’s tennis for nearly two decades.
French Open tournament director Amélie Mauresmo expressed her disappointment for Nadal and tennis fans, hoping that he will make a full recovery as soon as possible. Nadal’s absence from the tournament makes Djokovic the favourite to win the tournament. Currently, Carlos Alcaraz leads the betting odds, followed by Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune.
Nadal has had an extraordinary record at the Parisian Grand Slam event, winning 112 of the 115 matches he played during 18 appearances. Last year, he won the title at the age of 36, even though he was suffering from chronic foot pain. In his announcement, Nadal did not want to set a date for his return, but anticipates it will take several months. He is now focused on recovering from his injury and enjoying his final year playing professional tennis.
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