22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the upcoming French Open.
It will be the first time since 2004 that the Spanish tennis player will not be competing in the tournament, despite having won it a record 14 times.
Nadal announced in a press conference, "I’m not going to be able to play Roland Garros. We were not able to find the solution to the problem I had in Australia."
Nadal, who has an unbelievable 112-3 win-loss record at Roland Garros, also announced that he believes 2024 will probably be his final year in professional tennis and that he'd love to be at the Paris Olympics next year.
Nadal hasn't been able to play since he injured his left hip flexor during the Australian Open in January. After getting an MRI scan, his manager, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, said that Nadal would need at least two months to fully recover.
Nadal had hoped to make a comeback at the Monte Carlo Masters in March, which is played on red clay, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to do so. As a result, he has missed out on other tournaments since then, including the ongoing Italian Open, from which he withdrew earlier this month.
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