The "King of Clay," Rafael Nadal, will miss the 2023 French Open due to a lingering left hip flexor injury that has kept him sidelined since January.
Additionally, the 22-time Grand Slam winner said that his "intention" is that next year will be his last year on the professional tour.
“That’s my idea,” Nadal said in a news conference Thursday. “Even that, I can’t say that 100 percent it’s going to be like this because you never know what is going to happen, but my idea and motivation is to try to enjoy and to try to say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important to me in my tennis career (in 2024).”
This marks the first time since 2004 -- when Nadal withdrew due to an ankle injury -- that the 36-year-old Spaniard will not compete in the Paris Grand Slam. Since making his debut at Roland Garros in 2005, Nadal has won 14 of 18 tournaments with an unfathomable 112-3 record (Nadal withdrew before the third round in 2016, which does not count as an official loss). He won his 14th French Open last year.
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Nadal has not played since losing to Mackie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open on Jan. 18, which was his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2016. An MRI the next day revealed the extent of the hip injury, which was expected to sideline him for multiple months.
The hope was always to return in March, but Nadal -- who turns 37 in June -- has faced setbacks.
“I don’t know when I will be able to come back to the practice court, but I will stop for a while,” he said. “Maybe two months. Maybe one month and a half. Maybe three months. Maybe four months. I don’t know. I’m not the guy who likes to predict the future but I am just following my personal feelings and just following what I really believe is the right thing to do for my body and for my personal happiness.”
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The 2023 French Open begins on the clay at Roland Garros in Paris on May 28.
