The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, crowned 14 times at Roland-Garros, announced his withdrawal for the 2023 edition of the tournament, this Thursday, May 18 during a press conference in Mallorca. It will be the first time since 2005 that he has not taken part in the Parisian tournament.
This is an announcement that the tennis world feared. The Spaniard Rafael Nadal announced this Thursday, May 18 that he was withdrawing from the 2023 edition of the Roland-Garros tournament. ” The injury I suffered in Australia has not evolved as expected, so I will not be able to be there at Roland-Garros “, he declared during a press conference given in his tennis academy in Manacor, on the island of Majorca. The 36-year-old Mallorcan is expected to be unavailable during the ” next months », thus excluding his participation at least in the Wimbledon tournament. ” Next year will probably be the last year “, he also added, referring to the end of his career.
An unprecedented announcement for the Spaniard, since since his first coronation in the Parisian tournament in 2005, two days after his 19th birthday, Nadal has never failed at Roland-Garros. He accumulated more than 110 victories and won 14 titles, making him the record holder for the number of coronations in the Parisian Grand Slam. He has only failed three times, in 2009, 2015 and 2021, and suffered a mid-tournament forfeit in 2016 because of his left wrist.
A prolonged absence in recent months
In 2022, despite an anesthetized left foot to contain the recurring pain affecting his ankle, he triumphed for the 14th time in Paris, winning his 22nd career Grand Slam, a record shared only with Serbian Novak Djokovic.
Nadal, who turns 37 in early June, has not appeared in competition for four months due to a muscle injury in his left hip. His last match, a loss in three sets in the second round of the Australian Open against the American Mackenzie McDonald during which he was injured, dates back to January 18. First estimated between six and eight weeks, his absence has only stretched since, like the list of his packages, from the American tour on hard (Indian Wells and Miami) to the European season on ocher, from Monte Carlo to Rome, via Barcelona and Madrid. Now with the addition of Roland-Garros.
His record in 2023 is starving: only one victory for four matches played. If the injuries have marked his career, however exceptional, they have been accentuated for a year, from his foot to his left hip, through two abdominal tears last summer. In nine months, he could only play thirteen matches and lost eight of them. In the ATP ranking, the Spanish giant tumbled to 14th place.
While the tournament organizers hope to see him one last time in 2024 for his swan song in Paris, the 2023 edition of Roland-Garros already promises to be the most open for 20 years. Novak Djokovic, another regular tournament favorite, will not arrive in Paris with the ideal preparation since in three clay court tournaments in 2023, he has accumulated only five wins for three losses. Something to reshuffle the cards during the tournament, because since 2005, apart from the exception Wawrinka in 2015, no other player has managed to win in Paris apart from the sacred trio Nadal-Federer-Djokovic.
Rafa,
We can’t imagine how hard this decision was. We’ll definitely miss you at this year’s Roland-Garros. Take care of yourself to come back stronger on courts.
Hoping to see you next year in Paris 🧡 pic.twitter.com/lTN3GExBFo
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) May 18, 2023
(With AFP)