Tennis Update: Nadal out of Wimbledon & Olympics; Thiem out of Olympics; Osaka out of Wimbledon

All kinds of tennis news today and none of it is particularly good.

Rafael Nadal has announced that he will not be playing at Wimbledon, which he won in 2008 and 2010, or the Summer Olympics which he won in 2012. The Spanish superstar lost in a grueling semifinal at the French Open last week and said he’s skipping the summer’s two biggest events to take care of his body.

It’s a pity because Nadal is one of the games most exciting and passionate superstars and always delicious to watch.

Also missing from Wimbledon will be reigning US Open and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka who dropped out of the French Open to take care of her mental health,. But Osaka, ranked second in the world and the games’ biggest star these days, said she will be playing in the Olympics.

And finally, reigning US Open champion Dominic Thiem announced he will not be playing in the Olympics either but will be playing at Wimbledon. Thiem has been slumping badly this season and seems to have lost his edge after winning his first grand slam title.

I think it’s unlikely Roger Federer, 39, will manage to win a ninth Wimbledon but it would be wonderful. I think Novak Djokovic might be too spent to win another slam so soon after his grueling French Open win. So I’m going to pick Alexander Zverev to win his first slam.

As for the women, who the heck knows! It’s anybody’s for the taking. I’m hoping the fabulous Garbiñe Muguruza will emerge to win a second Wimbledon crown if Serena Williams falters.