A 20-time grand slam champion is pulling out of the 2021 Wimbledon tournament and the upcoming Tokyo Olympic games.

According to CNN, Rafael Nadal took to his Twitter account to explain his reasons for opting out of Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, saying, "It's never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision."

"The goal is to prolong my career and continue to do what makes me happy," the tennis star continued, "that is to compete at the highest level and keep fighting for those professional and personal goals at the maximum level of competition."

"The fact that there has only been 2 weeks between RG [Roland Garros] and Wimbledon, didn't make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay court season," Nadal added. "They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term." 

Wimbledon is scheduled to run from June 28 through July 11, and the controversial Tokyo Olympics are expected to take place from July 23 to August 8.