The 38-year-old announced he will compete in a clay-court event in Bastad, Sweden, as preparation for the Olympic tennis tournament starting on 27 July. Wimbledon, where Nadal claimed titles in 2008 and 2010, begins on 1 July.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, expressed his disappointment, saying he was "saddened" to miss the "great atmosphere" of Wimbledon, which "will always be in my heart." After his first-round exit at the French Open last month, the Spaniard stated that returning to the clay at Roland Garros for the Olympics is now his primary goal. He confirmed the news of his Wimbledon omission on Thursday.

"During my post-match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practising on clay," said Nadal on X.

During my post match press conference at Roland Garros I was asked about my summer calendar and since then I have been practicing on clay. It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics.

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 13, 2024

"It was announced yesterday that I will play at the summer Olympics in Paris, my last Olympics. With this goal, we believe that the best for my body is not to change surface and keep playing on clay until then."

"It's for this reason that I will miss playing at the Championships this year at Wimbledon. I am saddened not to be able to live this year the great atmosphere of that amazing event that will always be in my heart, and be with all the British fans that always gave me great support. I will miss you all.

"In order to prepare for the Olympic Games, I will play the tournament in Bastad, Sweden. A tournament that I played earlier in my career and where I had a great time both on and off the court. Looking forward to seeing you all there. Thank you."

As Nadal plans to retire at some point this season, it seems his final Wimbledon match will be his quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz in 2022, after which he withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

We will miss you this year, @RafaelNadal 💚💜#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/5NFEOApYxX

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 13, 2024

Ranked 264th in the world, Nadal will team up with Carlos Alcaraz to play doubles at the Olympics. He had previously indicated his intention to retire later this year, but before the French Open, he admitted he couldn't say "100%" if it would be his last time competing in the tournament. 

Alcaraz, who is set to debut at the Olympics, expressed last summer that playing with Nadal would fulfill a dream in what is expected to be one of the final competitions of Nadal's career. In addition to clinching the French Open title 14 times, Nadal has also secured two Olympic gold medals: one in singles at Beijing in 2008 and another in doubles with Marc Lopez at Rio eight years ago.

The duo have never teamed up in a match previously, and Alcaraz has limited experience in doubles. Nonetheless, they are expected to be a major attraction at the event. Alcaraz, fresh off his third Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, enters the singles tournament as a strong contender for the gold medal.