Rafael Nadal will reportedly take time off after Roland Garros and miss the third Grand Slam of the season at Wimbledon.
According to MARCA, Nadal has decided to skip Wimbledon like last year and focus on recovering following Roland Garros. Moreover, the same outlet states that the 21-time Grand Slam champion is unsure of the remainder of his schedule in the second half of the season.
Nadal is celebrating his 36th birthday today and has progressed into the final of the French Open for the 14th time. His opponent, Alexander Zverev, was forced to retire from their titanic and very competitive semifinal match after slipping on the court and injuring his ankle.
It was a horrific moment and Zverev who was carried into the backstage area for treatment with the score locked at 6-6 in the second set. Nadal had won the first set in tie-break after more than hour.
The German returned to the court in crutches to reveal he was retiring from the match and sending Nadal through. Speaking of injury, Nadal has been troubled by a chronic foot injury throughout his career, and the issue has resurfaced in the buildup to the clay swing and almost jeopardized his participation at this year's Roland Garros.
Nadal was not asked about it at the post-match press conference today, so the reports are only for now. But it appears the injury might be detrimental for the remainder of his season, and grass can be a tricky surface for him, not because of his recent record on it, but the possibility of aggravating the injury.
He is widely expected that he will at least play at the US Open, but as today's match against Zverev proved, nothing is certain in tennis. And maybe Nadal can clarify about it after the French Open on Sunday.
0 Comments