Last Wednesday, June 12, it was announced that Rafael Nadal would not play Wimbledon in order to focus solely on his participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Spaniard will be part of the singles and doubles draw, where he will compete alongside Carlos Alcaraz. However, before the Olympic event he needs to prepare, and as he has announced in an official statement, he will play the Bastad Open.
Nadal last played in the first round of Roland Garros, where he had the misfortune of facing Alexander Zverev, the eventual finalist. Therefore, Rafa needs matches before reaching the Games, which he will play for the last time, and the tournament in the city of Sweden, to be held from July 15 to 21, will be his final stop before Paris.
"During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics," he said.
"With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then. It’s for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all."
"In order to prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden. A tournament that I played earlier in my career and where I had a great time both on and off the court. Looking forward to seeing you all there."
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During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics.