No Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer at French Open for first time since 1998
Rafael Nadal recently announced his withdrawal from the 2023 French Open in a press conference. The Spaniard has been absent from the ATP Tour since suffering a hip injury at the Australian Open, where he was eliminated in the second round.
Nadal held a press conference at his academy in Manacor on Thursday, May 18. He stated that he would be unable to compete at the French Open as he was not in the best physical condition to do so.
"Today I'm still in a position that I am not able to feel myself ready to compete at the standards that I need to be [at] to play a Roland Garros. I am not the guy that is going to be at Roland Garros and just try to be there and put myself in a position that I don't like to be [in]," Nadal told reporters.
With the King of Clay confirming his absence from the French Open, it will be the first time since 2004 the tournament will take place without him. It will also be the first edition of the clay-court Major to not have Rafael Nadal or the now-retired Roger Federer since 1998.
Nadal is statistically the greatest competitor in the history of the French Open with 14 titles and 112 wins out of 115 matches since making his debut in 2005. Roger Federer made his debut at the clay-court Major in 1999. He appeared in 19 editions, with his only title coming in 2009 when he beat Robin Soderling in the final.
Nadal and Federer locked horns in four French Open finals in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011, with the Spaniard winning all of them.
Rafael Nadal claims 2024 could be the final year of his career
Rafael Nadal also said in his press conference that 2024 would probably be his last year on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard claimed that he aims to enjoy the next season and try to bid farewell to all the big tournaments.
"My ambition is to try to enjoy next year, which will probably be my last year in professional competition. My motivation is to try to say goodbye to all the important tournaments. 2024 will probably be my last year. I'm not going to set a return date before that. It could be reaching the Davis Cup at the end of 2023," Nadal said.
With Rafael Nadal announcing his withdrawal from the French Open, it will be interesting to see when he will return to action.