Why Are Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams Not Playing Wimbledon Championships 2021 Tune-Ups?

Published 06/15/2021, 8:18 AM EDT

Two of the biggest names in the sporting world are Spanish star Rafael Nadal and the legendary Serena Williams. Over the years, these supremely gifted athletes have thrilled fans from all over the world with their performances at various events, especially the Wimbledon Championships.

Besides entertaining the crowds, they have transformed themselves to such stature that youngsters look up to them as role models. Recently, the Spaniard and the American player were seen in Paris at the French Open 2021. Unfortunately, they did not win the competition and anything less than winning the title is considered a disappointment for players of their caliber.

Now that the focus has shifted towards the grass-court events, the Wimbledon Championships is the tournament that players will dream of winning.

Article continues below this ad

Usually, prior to the third Grand Slam of the calendar year, players take part in the warm-up events in order to get familiar with the grass-court conditions. However, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have decided to skip the warm-up events and focus instead on the Wimbledon Championships.

Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal want to rest prior to the Wimbledon Championships

These two athletes have been involved in a lot of tennis tournaments lately. This year, the French Open was postponed by a week later, and the schedule has gotten cramped. So with little time ahead of the Championships, the veterans have decided to skip the warm-up events to give their bodies the adequate amount of rest.

Article continues below this ad

To add to the matter, players living in different parts of the world have to undergo quarantine protocols depending on the city they are living in. On this, Serena stated, “However, I don’t think I’m playing a prep tournament at Wimbledon. I’ll take a few days, go home and then get ready for London. I need to quarantine, so I’ll have to move pretty fast.”

On the other hand, Rafa has been involved in a hectic schedule over the past couple of months. He has featured in every clay-court event since Monte Carlo and was most recently seen at the French Open. The Spaniard played some physically and mentally exhausting matches.

Article continues below this ad

Therefore, these players deciding to skip the pre-Wimbledon tournament is understandable. These are such versatile players that shifting gears and adjusting to different surfaces is simply a matter of time of them. It will be interesting to see how Rafa and Serena perform at the Wimbledon Championships 2021.

Watch this story: How Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Others Travel

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Rohan Kollare is a tennis author for EssentiallySports. Rohan has a post-graduate diploma in Sports Management and a trophy cabinet adorned with accolades won in district and state-level tennis competitions. He has previously worked in Content Operations for Disney’s Hotstar for over a year, covering tennis and Formula One.

Why Are Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams Not Playing Wimbledon Championships 2021 Tune-Ups?

Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal want to rest prior to the Wimbledon Championships

Trending

Roger Federer Breaks Partnership With Billion Dollar Worth Italian Brand Days After Coco Gauff’s Stunning Commercial Appearance

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Girlfriend Paula Badosa Provides Saddening Health Update After Being Forced To Retire Against Aryna Sabalenka

Tennis News: Rafael Nadal Confirms Retirement ; Doping-Banned Mikael Ymer Announces Comeback; Stefanos Tsitsipas Dubbed as Hypocrite

Mad in Love, Stefanos Tsitsipas Delivers the Most Romantic Message for ‘Biggest Blessing’ Paula Badosa

Barcelona Open 2024: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dušan Lajović; Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction