Nadal not attending Roland Garros

"For the past four months, every day I have worked as much as I can," Nadal said at a press conference announcing his decision to withdraw from Roland Garros on May 18. "Those were very difficult months, because we couldn't find a solution to the problem I had in Australia. Right now, I don't feel like I'm ready to play to the standards that I need at Roland Garros."

Nadal has been injured since January 19, when he lost the second round of the Australian Open to Mackenzie McDonald. He was later diagnosed with just eight weeks to heal his hip injury. But the 36-year-old tennis player has been convalescing for the past four months, and has not set a return date. "I don't know when I will be able to practice again, maybe two months, three months or four months," Nadal said.

The 14-time Roland Garros owner revealed the possibility of retirement in 2024. "My wish is to try to enjoy next year," added Nadal. "My motivation is to try to say goodbye to all the important tournaments. 2024 will probably be my last year. Maybe I'll be back at the Davis Cup at the end of 2023."

Nadal also revealed that he has not been able to train with the desired intensity since the pandemic, and has repeatedly suffered from physical problems. For the first time since his 2005 Roland Garros debut, Nadal will not attend a clay Grand Slam. England will drop out of the world top 100 next month, after the tournament in Paris. At the end of April, Nadal dropped out of the world's top 10 for the first time in 18 years.

Nadal's absence made him miss the opportunity to go ahead in the Grand Slam record race with Novak Djokovic. If Nole wins Roland Garros, the Serbian tennis player will monopolize the aforementioned record, with 23 Grand Slams.