World number one Rafael Nadal insists his decision to withdraw from Wimbledon is not a sign that his powers are on the wane.
Nadal opted not to defend his All England Club title after accepting that he would be performing at less than 100 per cent because he has yet to fully recover from knee tendinitis.
The Spaniard has been dogged by the problem for several years as a result of his all-action style and love of playing on clay courts.
He admitted pulling out was the toughest moment of his career but said that he is convinced he can return better than ever.
"I had physical problems in two of the most important tournaments for me, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, so it is tough to accept for me," Nadal said.
"I am going to work very hard to come back as soon as possible and when I do, I want to come back with 100 per cent right both mentality and physically.
"One of the big problems now is that when I am playing, I am thinking more about the knees than the game. It is difficult to play like this. I want to come back feeling 100 per cent.
"It is not a chronic problem. I can recover for sure."
Just 12 months after savouring his first Wimbledon title after a thrilling five-set victory over Roger Federer, it was a far more sombre Nadal who drove away from the south-west London venue this time.
Ending Federer's five-year reign as Wimbledon champion had been a crowning achievement for Nadal, who already had four French Open titles on his CV.
But Federer has already taken over as French Open champion and now he is the firm favourite to regain the Wimbledon title as well.
Australian Open champion Nadal, the fourth man not to defend the Wimbledon crown in the modern era, was desperate to fight for the trophy but he acknowledged there was no way his knees would have stood up to two weeks of gruelling action.
"When I enter a tournament like Wimbledon I want to try to win but my feeling right now is that I am not ready to win," he said.
"Not playing Wimbledon was one of the toughest decisions of my career. But the situation makes the decision a little bit easier.
"I don't feel I am ready to approach a tournament as important as Wimbledon.
"I have decided that I just cannot play this tournament this year. I tried everything, I worked very hard in the last weeks to arrive here in the best condition.
"Friday's match was the last test and although I didn't feel terrible I was not close to my best.
"It is tough but at the same time, I have no option. I don't feel ready to compete at 100 per cent for two weeks.
"I have played with some problems on the knees for the last few months.
"Now I am going to be out for some time but I don't know how long. I arrived at one of the most important moments in the year in my worst condition."
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