The 14-time champion at the clay-court Grand Slam has arranged a press conference for Thursday and it is expected that he will announce that he will not be competing this year.

A statement by Nadal’s academy indicated that he will be conducting a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

“Rafa Nadal will hold a press conference tomorrow at 16:00 (South African time) at the Rafa Nadal Academy to inform about his participation in Roland Garros.

“If he plays or not and the reasons either way will be only be communicated tomorrow.”

Should Nadal not play in the French Open it will be first time in his illustrious career that he will miss the Grand Slam that he has dominated.

The 36-year-old King of Clay has not played any competitive tennis since the second round of the Australian Open back in January. Nadal has been battling with a hip since the hard-court Grand Slam at the Rod Laver Arena.

The qualifying for the French Open starts on Monday, with the main draw getting underway next week Sunday.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport