World No.3 and defending Olympics gold champion Rafael Nadal of Spain has pulled out of the Olympics this year after sighting an injury that incurred at Roland Garros. He was due to carry the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony.

As he tries his level best to recover he stated, “I am not in the right physical condition to compete at the London Olympics and for this reason I will not travel as arranged with the Spanish delegation.”

He added, “I have to think about my team-mates, I cannot be an egotist and think about myself here. I have to think about Spanish sport, and that one of my team-mates who is better prepared than me can take my place and compete to the best of his ability. I've waited until the final moment of my preparation and my training, but I cannot do it.”

On not being able to carry the flag for Spain this year, the southpaw commented, “Today is one of the saddest days in my career. Carrying the flag for Spain at the opening ceremony was set to be one of the biggest honours, one of the most special moments for me. For this reason I hope you can understand how difficult it has been for me to take this decision.”