Rumours are flying that Rafael Nadal will skip Wimbledon in order to be prepared for the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Bill Simons, the man in charge of Inside Tennis magazine, is reporting that unconfirmed sources close to Nadal have said that the two-time Wimbledon champion will not be making the trip to the All England Club to give him time to recovery from a wrist injury that forced him out the French Open and Aegon Championship.
Recover for Rio
An injury to his left wrist for the nine-time French Open champion to withdraw from the event for the first time in his career. Not long after, he announced that he had withdrawn from his Wimbledon warm-up event at the Queen’s Club. With no time to prepare on grass, an appearance at Wimbledon has seemed unlikely for the Spaniard.
With only a second round appearance to defend at Wimbledon, it would make sense for Nadal to withdraw if his focus was to be ready for the Olympics. Nadal has only made one previous appearance at the Olympics when he won gold in 2008. He was unable to defend his title in 2012 due to a knee injury. The Spaniard has struggled at Wimbledon since reaching the final in 2011, so it makes sense that he would want to focus on a return to Olympic action.
Much to be decided
Simons claimed that sources close to Nadal confirmed that skipping Wimbledon to be prepared for Rio is the Spaniard’s intention. However, Simons has not confirmed his source, so it remains nothing more than a rumour at this point.
Nadal is actually currently not eligible for the Olympics, as he has not met the Davis Cup requirements. To be eligible to play in Rio, Nadal needs to participate in Spain’s upcoming Davis Cup tie on July 15-17th. This means that he would need to be healthy in time for the tie if he wants to participate, although he could also appeal to the ITF for a special exemption.