Now it’s official: Rafael Nadal will not play at Roland Garros 2023 (May 28 – June 11), the reigning Paris Grand Slam champion was unable to recover in time from an injury sustained at the Australian Open.

Rafael NadalPhoto: Dita Alangkara/AP/Profimedia

>> Rafael Nadal has announced when he will end his career in tennis

Rafael Nadal withdrew from Roland Garros-2023.

A 14-time clay-court champion in Paris, the Iberian made the sad announcement during a press conference he held at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor.

“I am here for different reasons. I can’t play at Roland Garros this year. My body made the decision. I don’t plan on playing for the next few months.

The injury I suffered in Australia was not what I expected. Participation in Roland Garros is impossible. I won’t be able to be there for many years.

It seems logical to me to consider participating in Roland Garros, given that I am the reigning champion of the tournament. I am the person who won there the most times, there are many years of excellent results. And it’s logical that people expect me to come back, but not this time” – Rafael Nadalquoted by Marca.

Rafael Nadal believes that he will finish his career in 2024

“Over the past few years, although the results have been good, my daily life has been at a very low level. After the pandemic, there were very difficult years in terms of effort.

It was a difficult year, albeit under the guise of victories. I suggest leaving everything aside. I’m not ready to compete at the right level right now. I will soon have to end my sports career. I will try to restore my body.

I’m not going to set a recovery date. When I’m ready, I’ll try to be. The Davis Cup at the end of the year could be a goal. And to try to approach next year with guarantees, I believe it will be my last year

I would like to play next year what is important to me, and the Olympics is important to me, but I don’t know” – Rafael Nadal.

Know:

  • This is the first time in 18 seasons that Nadal has missed Roland Garros.
  • Nadal has 112 wins and only 3 losses in his 18 Paris Grand Slam appearances.
  • It has already been 119 days since Rafael Nadal’s last match: 4-6, 4-6, 5-7 against Mackenzie McDonald (second round of the Australian Open).
  • Rafa has missed nine major tournaments due to an iliopsoas injury: Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.
  • Rafael Nadal will remain with only 445 points in the world ranking and will leave the ATP top 130, which has not happened since March 2003.
  • Nadal held the first position in the ATP ranking for 209 weeks. Rafa holds the record for most consecutive weeks in the ATP top 10 (912, from April 2005 to May 2023).
  • Rafael Nadal has triumphed at Roland Garros 14 times and has 22 Grand Slam titles to his name (he is compared to Novak Djokovic).