PARIS, FRANCE – MAY 27: Rafael Nadal of Spain announces during a press conference that he is withdrawing from the tournament due to a wrist injury on day six of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on May 27, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The 2016 French Open will now be without the most successful singles player in its history. Rafael Nadal announced Friday that he is withdrawing from the tournament due to a wrist injury.

Nadal, 29, said he attempted to play through his wrist injury, but continuing to do so could result in a more significant injury. Nadal did not explicitly say what the problem in his wrist is, only that it is something he has been dealing with for a couple of weeks.

Nadal advanced to the third round of the tournament on Thursday, defeating Facundo Bagnis 6-3, 6-0, 6-3. However, he was only able to complete the match after taking a painkiller injection beforehand.

After consulting with medical staff, Nadal determined that a playing through the injury — even with painkillers — would not be an option.

Nadal was seeded fourth in the tournament. His third-round foe, Marcel Granollers, will advance to the next round. The exit of the nine-time French Open champion certainly opens the door even wider for Novak Djokovic to finally capture his first title at Roland Garros. The French Open is the only Grand Slam event that the world’s No. 1 player has yet to win.

During his career, Nadal has a 72-2 record at Roland Garros, winning five French Open titles from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that, he won the event four straight times from 2005 to 2008.

About Ben Sieck

Ben is a recent graduate of Butler University where he served as Managing Editor and Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Butler Collegian. He currently resides in Indianapolis.