Rafael Nadal bewildered over players' Rio snub

14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has said that he failed to understand why a string of players have opted to snub the forthcoming Rio Olympics.

Describing the Olympics as 'the most important event in the world of sport', the 29-year-old Spaniard pointed out a player can only compete in this prestigious event for a few times in his or her entire career, Sport24 reported.

Nadal, who won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, will be Spain's flag bearer at the games in Rio de Janeiro. He is currently playing in the French Open where he has advanced to the third round.

His comments came after four of the world's top-23 are snubbing the Olympics in order to prioritise their tour goals.

World number 15 Dominic Thiem, No17 John Isner, No22 Bernard Tomic and No23 Feliciano Lopez have ruled out their participation in this summer's Rio Olympics and will be playing an ATP tournament that same week instead.