Nadal hints at likely absence from Wimbledon after French Open defeat

After his first-round exit at the French Open, Rafael Nadal indicated in a press conference that he is unlikely to compete at Wimbledon. The Spaniard fell in his Roland Garros debut to world No. 4 Alexander Zverev with a score of 3-6, 6-7(5), 3-6.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion mentioned that he plans to compete again at Roland Garros. Nadal is aiming for the Paris Olympics in two months, which will take place on the same clay courts where he has won 14 of his major titles. To maintain his focus on clay, he plans to avoid the transition from clay to grass and back to clay within a short period.

Following his defeat to Zverev, Nadal discussed his future challenges. When asked if he intends to play on grass and return to Wimbledon, he did not entirely rule it out but suggested it is unlikely: “[It] looks difficult, honestly. For me now, it looks difficult to make the transition to grass when we have the Olympics again on clay.”

The former world No. 1 has won two Wimbledon titles. His first came in 2008 in one of the most memorable Grand Slam finals against Roger Federer, who had won the previous five editions consecutively. The nearly five-hour match ended 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 in Nadal's favor. He repeated his success two years later by defeating Tomas Berdych with a dominant 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory.

“I cannot confirm anything, I need to analyze so many facts. I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happen to my body, to make a transition to a completely different surface, then come back to clay,” Nadal added. “Today I don’t think that’s a good idea, I don’t think it’s a positive idea right now.”

Regarding the Olympic Games, Nadal is currently ranked world No. 260, which is not high enough to qualify for the tournament. However, he is hoping for a wildcard, which is reserved for former Olympic or Grand Slam champions. Nadal seems a likely candidate, having won a gold medal in Beijing 2008 after defeating Fernando Gonzalez in the final.