Wimbledon suffered a double blow after Rafael Nadal pulled out of the tournament to recover from the rigours of the clay-court season just hours before Naomi Osaka likewise announced her withdrawal.
Nadal, who unlike Osaka will also miss the Tokyo Olympics, cited the rapid turnaround between the French Open and the Championships as a key factor in his decision.
Neither decision comes as a surprise. Nadal intimated that he might rethink his schedule following his gruelling semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic in Paris, while Osaka announced her intention to “take some time away from the court” after withdrawing from the French Open over the furore caused by her media boycott.
Roland Garros was postponed by a week this year to allow for the easing of Covid restrictions in France, leaving only a fortnight between the two slams. The transition from clay to grass places unique demands on the body and Nadal, who suffered from tendinitis in his knees earlier in his career, stressed in a statement released on social media that “prevention of any kind of excess in my body is a very important factor at this stage of my career”.
“It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discussing it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” said Nadal, 35, a two-time winner at the All England Club.
“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.
“The fact that there has only been two weeks between Roland Garros 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 had cast doubt on his Wimbledon prospects after losing in Paris, saying he would wait until he had greater physical and mental “clarity’ before making a decision. Like Roger Federer, who pulled out of the French Open following an arduous late-night struggle against Germany’s Dominik Koepfer, pragmatism is the watchword for the Spaniard as he enters the twilight years of his career. Just as Federer withdrew from a tournament he felt he had no chance of winning to concentrate on Wimbledon, where he will be seeking a ninth title, so Nadal will feel he has a greater chance of adding to his tally of 20 majors at the US Open, where he has twice been champion in the past four years.
Unlike Nadal, who has won Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles, Osaka will at least compete in Tokyo. Her participation at Wimbledon has been in doubt ever since she withdrew from the French Open to protect her mental health amid the bitter fallout from her refusal to fulfil media duties. The world No 2, whose stance triggered a warning from the four grand slam tournaments that she risked suspension from future majors, said she planned to take some time away from the sport, and subsequently pulled out of a grass-court event in Berlin.
Osaka’s intentions were confirmed in a statement released by her management company: “Naomi won’t be playing Wimbledon this year. She is taking some personal time with friends and family. She will be ready for the Olympics and is excited to play in front of her home fans.”