Rafael Nadal Raises Doubts Over Wimbledon Championships and Tokyo Olympics After French Open 2021 Disappointment

Still licking the wounds from his semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic, which brought to an end his era of dominance at Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal still hasn’t confirmed participation at Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking to reporters after going down in an intense four-setter against the World No.1, the defending champion said he won’t feature in this year’s Mallorca Championships. The Spaniard further said he would rest his tired body at his Manacor home for some days before taking a call on his participation at Wimbledon and the Olympics.

Rafael Nadal says he will take some time to rest and recover

As it always has been at Roland-Garros, Nadal had invested a lot of emotional energy into his last four tie against the Serbian and looked exhausted, both physically and mentally, at the end of it.

Hinting that his perspective as a senior pro is not the same as it was in his twenties, Nadal said he is 35 now and after pushing himself every week for two months, his body is asking for some rest.

He said the decision on whether he enters the men’s draw will rest entirely on how his body recovers over the next few weeks and if he is in the shape to return to action closer to Wimbledon and the Olympics.

“The body after fighting every week for two months for clear goals gives you a slump. Wimbledon is in two weeks. It’s different than when I was 25, 26 or 27 years old. Now I am 35. You have to see how I recover before making the decision of whether or not I play at Wimbledon,” Nadal said.

He added that he is unable to decide now as his current physical and mental shape won’t bring him any clarity on how he would feel two weeks from now.

“Right now I am not able to make a decision because I have neither the physicality or the mental clarity to think two weeks from now. I need to give myself a few days of vacation and relaxation,” the ‘King of Clay’ said.

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Nadal says it was a positive dirt season without reaching the final goal

Nadal added that his immediate goal is to rest his tired tissues at home and recover in the company of his family and friends.

“I will be at home with family and friends. I’ll try to rest a little bit both physically and mentally after two intense months, in a positive dirt season, although without having achieved the final goal,” Nadal said.

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Though the Spaniard took the opening set against Djokovic at a canter, an unusually high percentage of unforced errors proved to be his undoing in the semi-final.