Defending champion Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from The Championships at Wimbledon after failing to sufficiently recover from knee tendinitis, which has plagued the Spaniard since his shock fourth-round exit to Robin Soderling at Roland Garros earlier this month.
Nadal made the announcement after he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 7-6(6), 10-3 in a grass-court exhibition tournament at the Hurlingham Club, in west London, on Friday afternoon.
"Unfortunately this year I won't be able to play at Wimbledon," admitted Nadal. “To not play Wimbledon is one of the toughest decisions of my career. I've played with some problems with my knees for some months.
"I don't feel like I'm ready to play in a tournament that is as important as Wimbledon. I tried everything. I tried hard in the last week to get in the best condition and today was my last test.
"I have some time now to recover and will work very hard to return as soon as possible."
The 23 year old joins John Newcombe (1972), Stan Smith (1973) and Goran Ivanisevic (2002) as the only players who were unable to defend their Wimbledon titles in the Open Era.(From Website : http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2009/06/Nadal-Pulls-Out-Of-Wimbledon-With-Knee-Injury.aspx)
