
At a hastily arranged press conference, an emotional Rafael Nadal announced he was pulling out of the French Open due to a wrist injury.

He revealed the injury had happened several weeks ago.

It was a major blow for the tournament, since Roger Federer had pulled out before the event started as he recovers from a back injury.

Just last month, Nadal was riding high. First he won the title in Monte Carlo ...

And then he followed it up by capturing the Barcelona crown. This after a difficult first three months of 2016.

Injuries have increasingly become a bit of an issue for the soon-to-be 30-year-old. In 2014, he skipped the U.S. Open because of a right wrist injury.

In 2011, trying to win a fourth consecutive grand slam at the Australian Open he suffered a hamstring injury in the quarterfinals.

Countryman David Ferrer beat Nadal to quash hopes of a "Rafa Slam."

In 2008, Nadal won what is considered by many to be the greatest tennis match of all time at Wimbledon, ousting Federer in the final. But he missed the 2009 edition because of knee problems.

Nadal won the gold medal at the Olympics in 2008 in Beijing but couldn't defend his crown in 2012 in London, with yet more knee issues.