French Open champion Rafa Nadal will play at Wimbledon later this month if his body allows him to, the Spaniard said after winning Roland Garros for a record-extending 14th time.
“I am going to be at Wimbledon if my body is ready. Wimbledon is not a tournament I want to miss,” said Nadal, who has been suffering from a chronic foot injury.
Nadal, a double Wimbledon champion, destroyed Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0 to stay undefeated in Roland Garros finals.
The 36-year-old, who has won the season’s first two majors, now owns a men’s record 22 Grand Slam singles titles — two more than nearest rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Wimbledon starts on June 27.
Nadal explained that he had played Sunday’s final with a numbed foot thanks to a series of injections throughout the tournament, but that he would not go through a similar procedure again for the grass court Grand Slam.
“Wimbledon is a priority, always has been a priority. If I’m able to play with anti-inflammatories yes,” Nadal said.
“To play with anaesthetic injections, I do not want to put myself in that position again. It can happen once but no it’s not the philosophy of life I want to follow.”
At the final in January’s Australian Open, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, came from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev and bag a second title there.
Don’t forget he’s won the Australian Open, the French Open, now you can talk about the Grand Slam being on. Surely it is going to motivate him to keep on going.
— Former British No.1 Tim Henman
A couple of months earlier he was even considering retiring after a foot problem that has troubled him throughout his career resurfaced, forcing him to miss much of the 2021 season including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.
He arrived in Paris with his own doctor to get through the tournament despite the injury.
Giving details on what comes next for him, he said: “It’s going to be a radio frequency injection on the nerve and trying to burn a little bit of the nerve and create the impact that I have now on the nerve for a long period of time.
“That’s what we are going to try. If that works, I’m going to keep going. If that does not work, then it’s going to be another story. And then I am going to ask myself if I am ready to do a major thing without being sure that things are going the proper way.
“A major surgery that doesn’t guarantee me to be able to be competitive again and take a long time to be back is a risk. So let’s do it step by step, as I did all my tennis career.”
Former British No.1 Tim Henman believes the prospect of a calendar Grand Slam will motivate Nadal to play at Wimbledon.
Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, now on the board of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, said the 36-year-old could win the title for the third time.
“If Nadal is healthy, which is a big challenge with his foot injury — can he win Wimbledon? Absolutely, and that’s incredibly exciting,” Henman told Eurosport.
“Don’t forget he’s won the Australian Open, the French Open, now you can talk about the Grand Slam being on. Surely it is going to motivate him to keep on going.
“That’s what we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for because it’s a privilege to see one of the greatest champions in our sport playing like that.”
— Reuters
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