World no. 3 Rafael Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon and Tokyo Olympics
20-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal announces his withdrawal from the Wimbledon Championships and Tokyo Olympics 2020.
In a post on Twitter, Nadal said that he needs to “listen to his body” in order to prolong his career. The statement read:
Nadal will be missing the Tokyo Olympics as well, thirteen years after winning his first Olympic Gold in singles. The Spanish maestro takes the decision after a marathon match versus Novak Djokovic in the 2021 Roland Garros semi-final.
“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 he maximum level of competition,” he added.
Nadal is coming off a tough clay season despite winning in Barcelona and Rome. The 13-time Roland Garros winner will be looking to make his return at the hardcourt tournaments in North America after the Olympics.
Federer’s Last Dance
Roger Federer has had a mixed comeback in 2021. The Swiss maestro underwent a double knee surgery, keeping him out of the game for more than half a year. He returned in Doha, where he lost to eventual winner, Nikoloz Basilashvili.
Federer, then lost in his hometown tournament in Geneva against Pablo Andujar. The Swiss did not have an impressive set of matches prior to his Grand Slam return. During Roland Garros, the Swiss showed some of his vintage remarkable tennis to reach the round of 16. He convincingly beat former US Open champion Marin Cilic on his way to the fourth round.
The 20-time Grand Slam Champion returned to grass since the 2019 Wimbledon final at Halle. He lost to rising star Felix Auger Aliassime in three sets. Federer is still struggling with match fitness issues after his match against German Dominik Koepfer which lasted more than 4 hours.
The 8-time Wimbledon champion is going to turn 40 this year and has the chance for one final hurrah in his career. Federer won at SW 19 in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2017.
Despite his age, Federer continues to prove is just a number. He will be looking to save some of his finest tennis and aim for his 21st Grand Slam title.
Novak Djokovic: The firm favourite ?
The World No. 1 is edging closer to equaling Federer and Nadal’s Grand Slam titles record. His win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets at the Roland Garros final earned him a 19th Grand Slam title. He has now won each major at least twice, a feat unmatched by Nadal and Federer.
Djokovic won in Melbourne earlier this year beating Daniil Medvedev in the final on his way to a 9th Australian Open crown. He is a clear favourite to win his third Grand Slam in a row.
Djokovic is a 5-time champion at Wimbledon. He is also the defending champion, as last year’s Championships were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing is for sure that Djokovic has a great chance to equal the all time Grand Slam Record and attain legendary status with Nadal and Federer.
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