It’s been an interesting time for some big-name athletes as they have decided not to compete in big tourneys. Rafael Nadal has decided to listen to his body and take it easy for the summer. He’s thinking about the long-term of his athletic career. Here are the highlights:

• Even though he lost in the semifinals of the French Open last week to Novak Djokovic, has won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010. Not to mention, he also has a gold medal for singles from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and doubles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games.
• His decision to withdraw from the competition is he wants staying power. He wants to prolong his career and be at his peak performance. 
• The fact that Wimbledon (not to mention the Olympics) would come in such a short time would really put a strain on his body.
• He knows that it’s physically demanding to play at a high level, especially at his age where “any kind of excess” would be detrimental to the body.
• Nadal’s won the Grand Slam 20 times and has 13 titles at the French Open. 
• He’s making sure that he still has a lot of fight left in the remainder of his sports career.
• To his fans in Britain and Japan, he told them how important the Olympic Games are to him. Even though he’s sitting this one out, he said it’s been an honor to be the flag bearer for his country and to be in 3 Olympic games.