Rafael Nadal to miss French Open

MALLORCA, Spain: Defending champion Rafael Nadal says he will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January.

The 14-time Roland Garros winner also said on Thursday that he expects next year to be his last on the competitive tennis circuit.

“The evolution of the injury I sustained in Australia has not gone as I would have liked. I have lost goals along the way, and Roland Garros becomes impossible,” the tennis star told reporters.

“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.”

Nadal, 36, also said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis.

“It’s not a decision I’m taking, it’s a decision my body is taking,” said the Spanish superstar, who has played at the clay court major every year since 2005.

In March, Nadal dropped out of the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time in 18 years. By missing the French Open, he is likely to drop out of the top 100.

Nadal said he had decided to take a few months off before starting to play again.

“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.”

“It’s probably going to be my last year on the professional tour, I can’t say this 100 percent because you never know what’s going to happen,” he said.