Rafael Nadal Among Top Men’s Stars To Miss Wimbledon

Wimbledon will be missing some big names on the men’s side this year, and now Rafael Nadal has been added to the list.

The 36-year-old 21-time Grand Slam champion reached his 14th French Open final after Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific right ankle injury during their semifinal Friday.

Nadal, who won the Australian Open in January for his record-setting 21st major, will reportedly take some time off following Sunday’s final against either Marin Cilic or Casper Ruud. Wimbledon begins three weeks from Monday, on June 27.

Wimbledon previously banned Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s tournament following Russia’s invasion of Urkaine, meaning U.S. Open champion and world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, No. 7 Andrey Rublev and No. 25 Karen Khachanov won’t play.

Nadal opposed the decision and said he was empathetic to the Russian players.

“I think it’s very unfair to my Russian tennis mates, my colleagues,” he said. “In that sense it’s not their fault what’s happening in this moment with the war.”

Zverev, the world No. 3, left the court Friday in a wheelchair and returned on crutches, meaning his status for Wimbledon is also in the air.

Roger Federer, who has won eight of his 20 Grand Slam titles, is also not planning to play Wimbledon, but hopes to return to his favorite event in 2023, his agent said recently.

Nadal has not played Wimbledon since 2019 and has won only two of his 21 major titles there (2008, 10).

He has been bothered by a chronic left foot problem that has not appeared to hamper him at Roland Garros, where he beat world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets in the quarterfinals and No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in five in the fourth round. Still, he plans to take some time off.

Djokovic, who won Wimbledon last summer for the third leg of the calendar Grand Slam, will be the favorite again this year and now could have an easier path to the title without Medvedev, Nadal and potentially Zverev among those missing in 2022.