CNN
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Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open for the first time since he made his debut in 2005 after the 14-time champion announced on Thursday that he has withdrawn from the tournament due to injury, adding that “next year is my last year” in professional tennis.

The Spaniard suffered a hip injury during his second-round Australian Open defeat to Mackenzie McDonald in January and initially said he hoped to be fit again within six to eight weeks.

However, in an update posted on social media on April 20 and then again on Thursday, the 22-time grand slam champion said his recovery process was taking longer than anticipated.

Nadal also revealed that he will be away from the court for the next “few months” as he continues to recover, meaning the 36-year-old will also likely miss Wimbledon.

“My ambition is to try to stop to give myself an opportunity to enjoy next year, that’s probably going to be my last year on the professional tour,” Nadal told a press conference at his Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, Spain.

“That’s my idea, even then I can’t say 100% because you never know what can happen – but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and try to say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me in my tennis career during [next] year, and just try to enjoy that, being competitive and enjoying being on the court, something that today is not possible.

“I really believe, if I keep going now, I will not be able to make that happen. I don’t know if I stop if I will be able to make that happen, but I know the chances are much higher.”

The ‘King of Clay’ said he intended to return for the Davis Cup Finals, which get underway in September.

Roland Garros

Nadal has lost just three times at the French Open since his victorious debut appearance in 2005, undoubtedly one of the most dominant records in all of sport.

In 2009, he suffered one of the biggest upset in tennis history after losing in the round of 16 to Robin Söderling, before being beaten Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021.

In 2016, Nadal withdrew ahead of his third-round match against compatriot Marcel Granollers due to a wrist injury.

Nadal has not played since the Australian Open and in March dropped out of the world’s top 10 for the first time since 2005.

“Rafa, we can’t imagine how hard this decision was,” Roland Garros wrote on Twitter.” We’ll definitely miss you at this year’s Roland-Garros. Take care of yourself to come back stronger on courts.

“Hoping to see you next year in Paris.”

CNN
 — 

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is set to miss the French Open after injuring his foot during an incident where his car was stolen, his agent confirmed to CNN Sport on Thursday.

According to Daniel Horsfall, Kyrgios – the runner-up at Wimbledon last year – hurt himself in the “high-adrenaline rush” of the robbery in Canberra earlier this month.

Police said that Kyrgios’ mother was held at gunpoint and that his Tesla was stolen during the incident near his house in the Australian capital, Reuters reported.

“During the incident on May 1, they had the armed robbery at the house. With all the stuff that was going on, Nick lacerated the side of his left foot. We don’t know how,” Horsfall said.

“Basically, it’s just set him back about two-and-a-half weeks in terms of his loading schedule to get back on court for what we thought was going to be the grand slam.”

When contacted by CNN, Canberra police referred to a statement from May 1 which said that a 32-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly stealing a car from a residence in the suburb of Watson.

The statement added that the man had threatened a woman at the residence with a firearm and demanded the keys to a Tesla parked at the residence.

The man was charged with aggravated robbery, driving a stolen motor vehicle, furious driving, and failure to stop for police, police said.

Kyrgios’ last tournament was in Tokyo in October. He underwent knee surgery at the start of the year and had hoped to make a return at the French Open.

However, Horsfall said that the 28-year-old had suffered a laceration to his foot during the robbery, rendering practice difficult.

“He couldn’t slide, couldn’t get on court because every time he put a shoe on it moved and it would re-open,” said Horsfall.

“His knee, as far as we’re concerned, is actually in fantastic shape, the surgery went well.

“His fitness is at a fantastic level. It was just when we got to the last point of that rehab, the on-court loading, this freak accident happened.”

According to Horsfall, Kyrgios is planning to return to the tour in Stuttgart, Germany, at the beginning of June.

“The family has had it rough during the last month,” he told CNN. “Not just Nick and his mother Nill, but also his sister Hali and partner Costeen who was there the morning of the robbery.”

The French Open begins on May 22 and runs until June 11. Tournament organizers confirmed that Kyrgios had withdrawn but declined to give any further information.

CNN
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Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin has been discharged from a Buffalo medical center, his club said Wednesday, after more than a week of hospitalization due to a cardiac arrest he suffered during a “Monday Night Football” game this month.

The 24-year-old Bills safety had been showing signs of accelerated improvement in the days leading up to his release from Buffalo General Medical Center in New York, hospital officials had said.

“We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills,” a physician leading Hamlin’s care in Buffalo, Dr. Jamie Nadler, said in a statement the Bills released Wednesday on Twitter.

Hamlin initially was hospitalized in Cincinnati when his heart suddenly stopped after a tackle during a game against the host Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, but was transferred to the Buffalo facility Monday after doctors determined his critical condition had improved enough for the move.

Doctors at the Buffalo hospital were trying to determine why Hamlin suffered the cardiac arrest, Kaleida Health, the group of hospitals that includes the Buffalo medical center, said before his discharge. That included whether pre-existing conditions played a role in the event, which shocked many around the country and prompted a huge outpouring of support for the second-year NFL player.

On Tuesday, Hamlin went through “a comprehensive medical evaluation as well as a series of cardiac, neurological and vascular testing,” the Bills said on Twitter.

No cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest has been publicly announced.

“Special thank-you to Buffalo General it’s been nothing but love since arrival! Keep me in y’all prayers please!” Hamlin tweeted Tuesday.

It will be up to Hamlin to decide when he will be around the team again while recovering, Bills coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday.

“Grateful first and foremost that he is home with his parents and his brother, which is great,” McDermott told reporters Wednesday, as the Bills prepared to host the Miami Dolphins for a playoff game Sunday. No timetable for Hamlin’s return to professional football has been announced.

“We’ll leave (when he’ll be around the team) up to him. His health is first and foremost in our mind as far as his situation goes and when he feels ready, we will welcome him back,” McDermott said.

While in critical condition in Cincinnati, Hamlin was sedated and on a ventilator for days. On Friday morning the breathing tube was removed, and Hamlin began walking with some help by that afternoon, his doctors said Monday.

The health care team focused on stabilizing Hamlin and upgraded his condition Monday because his organ systems were stable and he no longer needed intensive nursing or respiratory therapy, doctors said.

“He’s certainly on what we consider a very normal to even accelerated trajectory from the life-threatening event that he underwent,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, chief of surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, said earlier this week. “He’s making great progress.”

Normal recovery from a cardiac arrest can be measured in weeks to months, Pritts said Monday. Hamlin had been beating that timeline at each stage and is neurologically intact.

When Hamlin collapsed seconds after an open-field tackle against a Bengals wide receiver, medical personnel rushed onto the field and administered CPR quickly – which helped save his life.

Hamlin’s heart had stopped, and medical responders revived it twice before putting him into an ambulance and taking him to the hospital. The immediate actions of medical personnel were vital to “not just saving his life, but his neurological function,” said Pritts.

The horrifying scene of Hamlin suddenly falling on his back after standing up following the tackle unsettled his teammates, the other players and millions of watching fans.

The game was initially postponed and later cancelled by the NFL – a decision several former football players said was a sign of a shift in prioritizing players’ mental and physical health.

Now, the Bills organization is encouraging people to learn the critical, life-saving skill of administering CPR.

The team has pledged support for resources including CPR certifications, automated external defibrillator units and guidance for developing cardiac emergency response plans within the Buffalo community, according to the statement. “We encourage all our fans to continue showing your support and take the next step by obtaining CPR certification,” the Bills said.