Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open for the first time in 19 years due to a hip ailment, which has forced the record 14-time men’s singles winner to withdraw.

The 36-year-old Spaniard, who has won 22 major men’s titles, has also stated that he intends to retire at the end of the 2024 season.

“It was my body that made the decision, not mine.” “It’s impossible to play Roland Garros,” he stated.

“I’ve decided that next year will be my last year on tour.” If I keep continuing like this, I won’t be able to accomplish that.”

Nadal, who turns 37 next month, has not played since incurring the injury in January at the Australian Open.

Nadal has been practicing in recent weeks, but has not been in good enough shape to compete in a competition leading up to Roland Garros.

The French Open begins on May 28 and runs until June 11 in Paris.

“I worked as much as I could every single day for the past four months, and they were difficult because I couldn’t find a solution to the problem I had in Australia,” the former world number one explained.

“I’m not in a position to compete at the level required to play Roland Garros.”

“I’m not the type of guy who will just be at Roland Garros.”

Nadal stated that he must stop playing for the foreseeable future in order to fully rehabilitate and return healthy in time for his retirement season in 2024.

“I’m going to take a break for a month, three months, or four months.” “I don’t like forecasting the future,” he explained.