Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal will be out for up to three months missing the French Open and Wimbledon after tests confirmed a hairline fracture to a bone in his left foot.
Spanish Tennis Federation doctor Angel Ruiz Cotorro said the injury would need between six to eight weeks to heal and that Nadal would not be ready to play in tournaments for another three to five weeks after that.
The injury means that the 17-year-old will also miss selection for the Spanish team in the Athens Olympics as places will go to the four players ranked highest on June 14.
"It was one of my main objectives this year," Nadal was quoted as saying by sports daily Marca on Wednesday. "It seemed to be within my reach and that's why it hurts so much to miss out."
The injury forced Nadal to pull out of the Estoril Open last week following his second round victory over Richard Gasquet of France.
The Spaniard, nephew of a former Spanish international footballer Miguel Angel, is considered by many experts as a future world number one.
In March, he beat Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Roger Federer in two sets in the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami.
Finland's top player Jarkko Nieminen is also set to miss the French Open and possibly Wimbledon. The 22-year-old broke his right wrist at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this week.
Ranked 30th in the world, Nieminen reached the fourth round of the French Open last year and the third round of Wimbledon.
