‘LISTENING TO MY BODY’

Rafael Nadal Ditches Wimbledon and Olympics After Brutal Djokovic Defeat

Last week, Novak Djokovic ended Nadal’s hopes at the French Open in a thrilling semi-final.

The Tokyo Olympics and Wimbledon will have to go on without one of the world’s biggest sports stars. Rafael Nadal, the 20-time Grand Slam champ, announced Thursday that he’s decided to drop out of the two flagship tournaments to help his body recover from the French Open. Last week, Novak Djokovic ended Nadal’s hopes at the French tournament in a semi-final that was described as one of the greatest matches of all time. The 35-year-old wrote: “The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy, that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition.” Nadal added that the short break between the French Open and Wimbledon “didn’t make it easier” on his body. Meanwhile, the U.S. Tennis Association announced Thursday that full capacity will be allowed for this year’s U.S. Open, which will get underway in August in New York City.