Nadal said that it wasn't "an easy decision," but
believes it was the best move for his overall health.
Rafael Nadal, who was beaten by eventual champion Novak
Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier this month, said the short gap between Roland
Garros and Wimbledon, starting June 28, doesn't allow him enough time to
recover. Nadal maintained that Olympic Games will always be special to him and
that he had the honour of representing Spain in 3 Olympics.
"Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this
year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an
easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my
team I understand that it is the right decision," Nadal said.
"The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do
what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting
for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of
competition," he added.
The Olympic Games always meant a lot and they were always a
priority as a Sports person, I found the spirit that every sports person in the
world wants to live. I personally had the chance to live 3 of them and had the
honor to be the flag bearer for my country.“
Decision taken focussing on long-term: Nadal
Nadal said that his clay-court season was very demanding and
it's important for him to give his body rest at this stage of his career. The
35-year-old lost only his 3rd match at French Open as his bid for a 14th Roland
Garros crown came to an end in the semi-finals.
The fact that there has only been 2 weeks between RG and
Wimbledon, didn’t make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always
demanding clay court season. They have been two months of great effort and the
decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term," Nadal said.
"Sport prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a
very important factor at this stage of my career in order to try to keep
fighting for the highest level of competition and titles.
"I want to send a special message to my fans around the
world, to those in the United Kingdom and Japan in particular," he added.