Tennis' Nightmare Year Continues as Injured Rafael Nadal Exits French Open

Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the 2016 French Open inflicts another injury on an already battered tennis season.  

Every sport takes a hit. However, after some serious blows, tennis is hemorrhaging. 

Roger Federer withdrew from the French Open due to an unspecified injury, the first time he's missed a Grand Slam since August 1999. Maria Sharapova is home on a provisional drug suspension. Now Nadal, the King of Clay, is also out at Roland Garros. 

The year got off to an ugly start. A match-fixing scandal overshadowed the Australian Open. In March, Sharapova stepped up to a microphone to announce she had tested positive for meldonium, a drug added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned substance list this year. Then the head of Indian Wells stepped down after making disparaging remarks about women.

There's been ongoing bickering about equal prize money. Several high-profile players have announced that they are skipping the Olympics. 

The season isn't even half over, yet it feels like one of the worst in recent memory.

With Federer, Sharapova and Nadal out, Serena Williams is the only active career Grand Slam winner competing in the French Open. Even she's been missing in action most of the season. 

Victoria Azarenka won Indian Wells and the Miami Open back-to-back. After a couple of years of fighting injuries, Azarenka appeared ready to challenge Serena. Then she injured herself, again, and had to retire in her first-round match at the French Open.

Gael Monfils, Belinda Bencic and Caroline Wozniacki had already withdrawn from the tournament. 

Injuries happen. But this year they're happening to iconic figures. 

What makes matters worse is that much of the bad news—the injuries, scandals—remains unresolved. It's not clear if Federer or Nadal will be healthy enough to compete at Wimbledon or the Olympics. Sharapova's fate is still up in the air, and other players are rumored to have tested positive for meldonium. 

Fans are feeling the strain. Some took to Twitter to express their disappointment over a Roland Garros fortnight minus Nadal and Federer.

Nadal announced in a press conference that he had to retire due to pain in his wrist. In trying to convey his doctor's sentiments, Nadal said he risked breaking his already fragile wrist. 

"This is one of the toughest press conferences of my career," Nadal said. "If it wasn't Roland-Garros, I probably wouldn't have taken the risks. It's the most important event of the year for me." 

The Olympics are also important to Nadal. Spain chose Nadal to be the nation's flag bearer in Rio de Janeiro. It would be awful if he's unable to compete. 

The Summer Games in Rio are supposed to be like a fifth Grand Slam. Yet a growing number of players, some among the best in their country, have chosen to opt out. Dominic Thiem, John Isner, Bernard Tomic and Feliciano Lopez are skipping the Olympics. All of them are ranked in the top 30 and would have qualified. 

Isner cited scheduling and lack of points offered as the main reasons he withdrew. He told Reem Abulleil of Sports360: "The Olympics, it's very tough on the schedule, especially with Davis Cup as well. ... With all the tournaments sandwiched pretty much around the Olympics, it made it tough for me to go down there."

This week, the Russian Tennis Federation named Sharapova among its list of athletes who will compete in Rio, just in case. The move only served to remind tennis fans that one of the game's biggest stars remains in limbo over a doping scandal. 

Meanwhile, the head of the ITF raised concerns about whether the facilities in Rio would be ready in time. As of April, work continued on the tennis venue. Courts weren't finished and lights had yet to be installed. 

Winners of three Olympic gold medals in doubles, Venus and Serena Williams are playing doubles in a Grand Slam for the first time in two years. They will be shooting for a record fourth gold medal in August. 

As one fan tweeted, we might be seeing the final year of tennis' golden age of Nadal, Federer, Venus and Serena. And if Sharapova is dealt a career-ending suspension, tennis is in for a world of hurt.  

Losing big stars might impact the WTA far more than the ATP World Tour. It's probably not a coincidence that the complaints about equal prize money grew louder this year when Sharapova and Serena Williams have played in just six tournaments combined. 

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The ATP has Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka as established stars and Grand Slam winners. The WTA has promising and popular players but none approaching the megastar power of Serena, Venus and Sharapova.

Martina Navratilova worries that this year is just a preview of the post-Williams/Sharapova era. She told Matt Majendie of the Evening Standard: "It feels like a crossroads right now. When Serena doesn't play it leaves such a gap as she's been dominating for such a long time. And Maria's absence is another big hole. The two biggest names in the game for the last 10 years publicity and personality wise have been Maria and Serena."

Tennis is player-driven. When tennis loses its star players, it suffers. Lower-ranked and lesser-known players can produce competitive matches and trick shots. However, many fans, especially those peripheral ones who tune in just for the Grand Slams, see tennis without superstars as unworthy of their time. 

The French Open will go on. Trophies will be rewarded. The ITF will reportedly reveal Sharapova's status within the next few weeks. Serena will either match Steffi Graf in Grand Slams won or remain in pursuit. Maybe Djokovic will win his first French Open and join the ranks of the career-Slam winners.

It would be nice to have something to celebrate. Hopefully, the year gets better. It's hard to imagine it getting much worse. 

Follow Merlisa on Twitter @merlisa