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The UK lifted lockdown restrictions in May 2021 and things are slowly returning to normal. International sport has resumed in England with Euro 2020 football games and also the ICC World Test Championship in June, followed by a test series between England and India.
The 2021 Wimbledon Championship is set to take place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club from June 28 to July 11.
Tennis fans in England were looking forward to watching the best tennis players in the world compete this year after the 2020 Wimbledon championship was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Rafael Nadal announced this week that he will not take part in Wimbledon this year as his body is not up for the challenge. Nadal who is ranked number 3 in the world said that the back to back schedule of the French Open and Wimbledon is putting too much strain on his mental and physical health and hence he decided to do what was best for him and sit out.
Nadal expressed concerns last year about traveling the world and playing in different tournaments when COVID-19 was a threat. This time around, it appears that COVID-19 was not a factor in him dropping out but the wear and tear of playing international tennis without much of a break.
The Spaniard had a good run at Roland Garros and ended up losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Djokovic went on to win the 2021 French Open. The 35 year old Nadal also confirmed that he will not take part in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Osaka Won’t Play Wimbledon But Will Play Olympics
Naomi Osaka who is ranked number 2 in the world also confirmed that she will not be taking part in the 2021 Wimbledon. The 23 year old created a lot of controversy at Rolland Garros when she refused to fulfil her media obligations. Osaka said that she suffered from anxiety and preferred to just play tennis and skip the post-match interviews.
Officials at the French Open came down hard on Osaka and said it was mandatory for her to fulfil her media obligations or face fines. As a result, Osaka dropped out of the French Open and has decided to take a small break from tennis to work on her mental health. Osaka confirmed that she will take part in the 2021 Olympics.
Reuters
