Rafael Nadal injured, not participating in French Open and hinting at retirement from tennis career

Due to not recovering from injury, tennis player Rafael Nadal withdrew from this year's French Open (Roland Garros), his first absence since 2005.

Rafael Nadal has had very successful performances at the French Open in recent years. (Source: EFE)

Rafael Nadal has been out of action since the second round of the Australian Open in January with a hip injury. He initially expected to be out for six to eight weeks.

However, in an update on his personal page on April 20, then again on May 18, the reigning Roland Garros champion said that his recovery process was longer than expected and so he could not participate in the tournament.

Nadal also said he will be out of action for the next few months, which could mean he will miss Wimbledon in July. The Spaniard hinted that he will retire next year.

"My ambition is to try to give myself the opportunity to enjoy next year, which could be the last year of my career," Nadal said at a press conference at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain, on May 18.

"That's my opinion, I can't be 100% sure because you never know what can happen. I really believe if I continue, I won't be able to make it happen.

I don't know, if I stop now, the chance to compete will be higher," said the 1986-born tennis player. Nadal added that he plans to return at the Davis Cup Finals taking place in September.

The Roland Garros Twitter page wrote: "Rafa, we cannot imagine how difficult this decision is. We will certainly miss you at Roland Garros this year. Take care of yourself and come back stronger. Hope to see you next year in Paris."

Nadal won Roland Garros on his first appearance in 2005. Since then he has dominated the tournament, winning a record 14 French Open titles and being dubbed the "King of Clay".

He is undefeated in every Roland Garros final he has played. The veteran has only missed out in 2009, 2015, 2016 and 2021.

Rafael Nadal was born in 1986 and is a world- famous Spanish tennis player.

In addition to his 14 French Open titles, he also won three other Grand Slam tournaments, including two Australian Opens, two Wimbledons and four US Opens.

Nadal and Djokovic are the two male tennis players with the most Grand Slam titles with 22.

This year, the Roland Garros tournament, also known as the French Open, takes place from May 22 to June 11 in Paris, France.

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