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 July 27.
Wimbledon, where Nadal won in 2008 and 2010, starts on July 1.
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.
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 percent” if that would be the last time he played in the tournament.
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