The left wrist injury that forced Rafael Nadal to drop out of the French Open last month will keep him out of Wimbledon, the 14-time Grand Slam champion announced Thursday.
In a multi-lingual post on his Facebook page, Nadal said that after his latest medical examination he has decided his wrist needs to rest and won’t be ready to go by the time Wimbledon starts June 27.
Nadal played two matches in the French Open with the wrist injury, receiving injections to numb the pain, but was eventually forced to withdraw.
Injuries have helped hasten Nadal’s fall from tennis’ top shelf in recent years. Nadal is tied for second all-time in Grand Slam titles but hasn’t won one since the 2014 French Open. He’s 30 years old and is now a distant fourth in the world behind Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Hopefully Nadal’s wrist heals by the U.S. Open and he’s able to recapture some of his previous glory, because tennis isn’t as fun with Nadal and Federer injured and Djokovic trampling everyone.