Why Rafa Nadal isn’t competing at Wimbledon despite not being injured

The Spaniard was last seen at Roland Garros, one of four competitions he has competed in this year.

He was anticipated to skip Wimbledon, where he won in 2008 and 2010.

Rafa Nadal will not compete at Wimbledon for the second year in a row, much to the dismay of his fans in England. Wimbledon is the oldest and most renowned tennis tournament in the world.

The 38-year-old has been suffering with fitness concerns for some time and has only played four events this year: the Madrid and Barcelona Opens, Roland Garros, and an exhibition match against compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas in March.

Eyes on the prize…#Wimbledon | @RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/QQCuJhFCLg

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2019

Rafa Nadal choosing his priorities in 2024

Nadal has once again decided not to compete in Wimbledon, despite the fact that he is not injured and has no fitness issues. Rafa is in good physical shape, and his absence from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club this year is simply a matter of prioritizing his activities. Now in the twilight of his playing career, Nadal is unable to participate in every competition on the 2024 calendar, so he is focusing on one of his primary goals: the Paris Olympic Games, which run from July 26 to August 11.

The Spaniard’s top priority right now is to attend the Olympics one last time. He won gold in the men’s singles event at the 2008 Olympics and repeated the feat in the doubles with Marc López in Rio in 2016.

During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics.

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 13, 2024

As he indicated, it’s not a smart idea to switch from grass to clay in such a short period of time, as he would have had to do if he had entered Wimbledon first and then traveled to Paris. Since withdrawing from the Australian Open in January due to a muscular ailment, Rafa has limited himself to playing only on clay. Competing on grass would just enhance his chances of relapsing from his ailment. And if that puts his participation in the Games in jeopardy, he should pass it up.

Nadal and Alcaraz, a formidable team at the Paris Games

Nadal will be one of seven Spanish men’s singles participants in the 2024 Olympics, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Pablo Carreño Busta, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Pedro Martínez, Jaume Munar, and Roberto Carballés Baena.

Spain's Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will team up to play doubles at this year's Olympic Games in Paris, the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) said on Wednesday. https://t.co/fqGWUyR8wZ https://t.co/fqGWUyR8wZ

— Reuters Sports (@ReutersSports) June 12, 2024

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz will also compete in the men’s doubles, according to squad captain David Ferrer. The second team is yet to be picked; it is not certain. We have a clear concept, but we’ll wait a little before making a decision. If nothing happens to prevent that, Rafa and Carlos will play in Paris.”

The tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will take held on Roland-Garros’ clay courts from Saturday, July 27 to Sunday, August 4.