Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the French Open due to an injury and has announced he plans to retire in 2024.
The 36-year-old has been out of action since sustaining a hip flexor injury in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
The Spaniard has since dropped to 14th in the ATP rankings.
At a press conference at his academy in Manacor on Thursday he announced he is not fit enough to feature at Roland Garros.
“The evolution of the injury I sustained in Australia has not gone as I would have liked,” Nadal said.
“I have lost goals along the way, and Roland Garros becomes impossible.
“At this moment, I won’t be able to be at Roland Garros. With what that tournament is for me, you can imagine how difficult it is. I have no intention of continuing to play for the next few months.
“I’ll not establish a date for my return. I’ll see how my body responds and take it from there… if I can come back until the end of the year for the Davis Cup.”
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Nadal confirms retirement plans
Nadal said his plan was to give his body time to recover and admitted it could take up to three months – which would mean he would not take part in Wimbledon this year.
He also confirmed he wants to retire at the end of 2024 and is aiming to ensure he is fit enough to see out his last year on the ATP Tour.
“My goal and my ambition is to try and stop and give myself an opportunity to enjoy the next year that will probably be my last year in the professional tour,” he said.
“That is my idea but I can’t say 100 per cent it will be like this, but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me.
“To enjoy being competitive and something that today is not possible. I believe if I keep going now, I will not be able to make it happen.”
This story originally appeared on Skynews
