Nadal declines Challenger wild card ahead of Roland Garros

Rafael Nadal won't be making his return anywhere else than at Roland Garros as he declined an invitation to play at the ATP Challenger event in Bordeaux.

Nadal has been out of action since the Australian Open earlier this year, where he sustained a hip injury early in the tournament. He has yet to make a proper return, withdrawing from a couple of important events, including the Madrid Open and the Italian Open in Rome this week.

Alex Corretja recently suggested that Nadal could opt to play an event before Roland Garros, with ATP tournaments in Lyon and Geneva being two that are played in the week before.

It doesn't seem likely, as information came out about him declining an invitation to the ATP Challenger in Bordeaux, which runs from May 14th to the 20th. The information was confirmed by the tournament director of the event, who spoke to L'Equipe about Nadal's agent turning down an offer for a wild card.

The response from the agent indicated that Nadal is preparing for Roland Garros in Mallorca, which makes his return before the event seem very unrealistic.

The decision is not a surprise, but many wonder how it will affect his Roland Garros chances. Entering that event without any matches before and after not playing for months makes it very hard to imagine that he will truly perform really well.

It's his event and historically the most dominant event for any tennis player in history, which is why many hesitate to doubt him. Some are more optimistic than others, especially those within his own circle, but nobody really knows for certain.