Record holder Rafael Nadal has to bury his dream of a 15th singles title at the French Open for the time being. The blame lies with an old hip injury that the Majorcan had already suffered in January at the Australian Open.

For the first time since his debut in Paris in 2005, Rafael Nadal will not serve at the French Open at the end of the month. The 36-year-old said the reason for his withdrawal was a hip injury that has been bothering him since the Australian Open in January. This will also make a start in Wimbledon impossible.

At the same time, Nadal declared that the coming year would be his last as a tennis player. With 14 singles triumphs, the Majorcan is the record winner at the traditional tournament in Paris. The last time he won there was last year. Nadal did not comment on the exact duration of his injury break.

Nadal: “Enjoy tournaments”.
The French Open is Nadal’s favourite tournament and he has been a crowd favourite there since his first triumph as a 19-year-old. His big goal is the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, because the tennis competition is held at the French Open facility. But not only that, as Nadal underlined at a press conference in Mallorca this Thursday: “My goal next year is to enjoy once again all the tournaments that have meant something to me.”

The French Open starts on 28 May. Nadal’s cancellation increases the chances of Serb Novak Djokovic becoming the record Grand Slam champion with a 23rd title.