MADRID.- The Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal confirmed this Thursday its presence at the Paris Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), something that had been announced the day before by the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) and was ruled out for the next tournament. Wimbledon.
“During the post-match press conference at Roland Garros, I was asked about my summer schedule, and since then I have been training on clay. Yesterday it was announced that I will be playing in the Paris Olympics, my last Olympic Games,” he wrote Nadal in English in X.
“With that goal, we believe that the best thing for my body is not to change the surface and continue playing on clay. For that reason I will miss Wimbledon this year,” he explained, before confirming that he will be in the tournament in Bastad (Sweden). from July 15 to 21.
The Olympic tennis tournament in the French capital will be held from July 27 to August 4 on the same clay courts as Roland Garros, a tournament that Nadal has won 14 times.
The Mallorcan will play in Paris the individual tournament and the doubles competition alongside the world No. 2 and brand new Roland Garros champion, Carlos Alcaraz. Nadal won Olympic gold in singles in Beijing 2008 and in doubles in Rio 2018.
However, the 38-year-old tennis player will miss the Wimbledon tournament, the Grand Slam on grass that he has won twice (2008 and 2010).
Thumbs up for Osaka:
Naomi Osaka, former world No. 1 and winner of four Grand Slam tournaments, will be able to compete in the tennis tournament at the Olympic Games, which will take place from July 27 to August 4 on the clay courts of Roland Garros, the Japanese Tennis Federation announced this Thursday.
“I would love to play, if they authorized me to do so,” in the Olympic Games, declared the Japanese on April 13 in Tokyo, within the framework of the Bille Jean King Cup. Wish granted.
Osaka, 26, was in charge of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she was eliminated in the third round.
Starting at the end of 2022, she left the circuit for 15 months, a period during which she was a mother, before returning to competition last January.
The champion, at that time in position 800 in the WTA ranking, rose to the current position of 125th.
Source: AFP
