Rafael Nadal to miss Wimbledon to focus on Paris Olympics

Two-time champion Rafael Nadal will not play at Wimbledon this year in order to focus on the Olympics in Paris.

The 38-year-old Spaniard said he will compete in a clay-court event in Bastad, Sweden, as preparation for the Olympic tennis tournament which begins on 27 July.

Wimbledon, where Nadal won in 2008 and 2010, starts on 1 July.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, said he was “saddened” to be missing the “great atmosphere” of Wimbledon, which “will always be in my heart”.

Following his first-round exit at the French Open last month, Nadal said returning to the clay at Roland Garros at the Olympics was now his main target.

“With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then,” he said.

Nadal, who is ranked 264th in the world, will play doubles with Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympics.

Nadal has previously said that he expected to retire later this year, but said before the French Open that he could not say “100%” if that would be the last time he played in the tournament.