Rafael Nadal says playing Wimbledon is ‘not a good idea’ as he looks to prioritize Paris Olympics

Rafael Nadal has cast further doubt on his participation at Wimbledon this year, saying it is “not a good idea” as he looks to prioritize the Summer Olympics.

Rafael Nadal has cast further doubt on his participation at Wimbledon this year, saying it is “not a good idea” as he looks to prioritize the Summer Olympics on the Roland Garros clay. The 22-time grand slam champion was eliminated in the first round of the French Open by Alexander Zverev on Monday and said Paris 2024 is now the “main goal” for the summer. The transition from clay to grass is the most difficult surface change on the tennis calendar. Wimbledon gets underway on July 1, with the Olympic tennis tournament starting less than a month later on July 27. “It looks difficult,” Nadal, who won singles gold at Beijing 2008, said of his Wimbledon prospects. “Honestly, I can’t confirm what’s going on, but for me, now it looks difficult to make the transition to grass, having the Olympics again on clay. “So I cannot confirm anything, I need to talk with the team, I need to analyze so many facts, but I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happened to my body to now make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay. “Today, I feel that’s not a good idea. I can’t confirm, but my feeling is, even if I am booked in Wimbledon because I had to, I don’t think it’s a positive idea right now.”