2021 Wimbledon tennis odds: Rafael Nadal withdraws from grass-court Grand Slam tournament; Naomi Osaka also out

The most prestigious Grand Slam tournament in tennis is Wimbledon, and the lone grass-court major gets underway June 28 from the All England Club in London. Two-time champion Rafael Nadal had a realistic shot to become the first male player with 21 Grand Slam tournament titles, but the Spaniard has chosen not to play this year for health reasons and will have to wait until the U.S. Open in the fall to reach No. 21. Nadal had been a +650 fourth-favorite on the William Hill Sportsbook odds to win Wimbledon. Also sitting out is world No. 2 Naomi Osaka on the women's side. 

Nadal likely is still stinging from losing in the French Open semifinals to eventual champion and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Nadal had won that tournament a record 13 times and had lost just twice all-time on the clay at Roland Garros. The 2021 French Open was pushed back a week due to COVID-19, and one less week to prepare for the grass-court season and Wimbledon was a big part of Nadal's reasoning for withdrawing.

"The fact that there has only been 2 weeks between RG (Roland Garros) and Wimbledon, didn't make it easier on my body to recuperate after the always demanding clay court season," he wrote on Twitter. "They have been two months of great effort and the decision I take is focused looking at the mid and long term."

Nadal won Wimbledon in 2008 & '10 – the only major he has won fewer times is the Australian Open (once) – but hasn't reached the final since losing to Djokovic in 2011. There was no Wimbledon last year due to COVID, and Nadal did reach the semifinals in 2019 & '18. He also will not play in the Tokyo Olympics, either. Nadal won gold for Spain in the 2008 Games in singles and in doubles at the 2016 Games in Rio.

This year's Wimbledon would have been the first time that three players competed with 19 Grand Slam titles each. Nadal and eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer each have a record 20, and Djokovic added No. 19 at the French Open. Thus, we could have a historic three-way tie at 20 if Djokovic wins Wimbledon for a sixth time (that would make the U.S. Open epic in the race to 21). He's the two-time defending champion and a -110 favorite at William Hill.

This likely will be Federer's last best chance to reach 21 career Grand Slams at age 39 (40 in August) and on clearly his favorite surface. He withdrew from the French Open following the fourth round specifically to prepare for Wimbledon. Federer hasn't won there since 2017 but nearly did in 2019, losing an epic five-set match to Djokovic. The Swiss star is a +700 fourth favorite at William Hill, also behind Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev (both +550). The men's final at Wimbledon is scheduled for July 11.

Osaka, meanwhile, withdrew from the French Open before the second round due to a firestorm caused by her decision to skip mandatory post-match news conferences at the tournament. She revealed that she had been dealing with anxiety and depression. Osaka had pulled out of this week's grass-court tune-up in Berlin and also Thursday announced she would pass on Wimbledon, too. She was +800 to it for the first time. 

Osaka does plan to play in the Olympics. As a native of Japan, she is one of the faces of the Tokyo Games in her country. 

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