Rafael Nadal admits he's unsure whether he will participate in Tokyo Olympics, says "things are constantly changing"

While speaking to the media on Tuesday ahead of the start of his Italian Open campaign, Rafael Nadal discussed a variety of topics - right from his current form to his schedule for the rest of the year. On the subject of the latter, the Spaniard revealed that he is not sure whether he'll be a part of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics given the travel and quarantine restrictions in place all over the world.

Rafael Nadal is an incredibly successful Olympics athlete, having won the gold medal in men's singles at the 2008 Beijing Games. The 34-year-old was unable to participate in the 2012 London Olympics due to tendinitis, but he made amends at the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning the gold medal in men's doubles (with Marc Lopez as his partner).

Despite his rich history at the event, Rafael Nadal admitted on Tuesday that he has been giving some thought to sitting out this year's Olympics. The Tokyo Games, scheduled to be held in July, will not allow international visitors and fans at the venue, including family members of the athletes.

The 20-time Major winner acknowledged that competing for a medal at the Games has always been a priority for him, but in the same breath he noted that there were a lot of variables to take into account this year.

"Under normal conditions, the Olympic Games have always been a high priority for me," Rafael Nadal said. "However, under the current circumstances, though obviously Olympic Games are still in a privileged position, things are constantly changing."

The reality is that we've been in a pandemic for more than a year and the only thing I'm saying is that decisions are taken more short-term than long-term. Nowadays, I don't make my calendar 6 months in advance, but just some weeks in advance.

— Genny SS (@genny_ss) May 11, 2021

"I'm almost 35 years old, I take decisions based on what my body and mind demand from me" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal hits a forehand

Rafael Nadal went on to assert that the whole world has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last one year. He also pointed out that no one knows whether the global health situation will improve or worsen in the coming months.

Keeping all those things in mind, the 34-year-old hasn't been fixing his schedule six months in advance like he normally does.

"The reality is that we've been in a pandemic for more than a year and the only thing I'm saying is that decisions are taken more short-term than long-term," Nadal said. :Nowadays, I don't make my calendar 6 months in advance, but just some weeks in advance."

Rafael Nadal also conceded that he is no longer a young man, and that he needs to plan his workload based on his body's reaction to the rigors of the tour.

"Then, depending on how things evolve one way or another, and also taking into account that I'm almost 35 years old, I take decisions based on what my body and mind demand from me at each moment," Nadal said.