Rafael Nadal has opened up on his chances of competing at Wimbledon later this month, with the Spaniard on course for the 2022 calendar Grand Slam following victory at the French Open. After clinching the title at the Australian Open in January, Nadal made it two major titles in two after yet another win at Roland Garros on Sunday.
The 36-year-old showed his class once again on the Parisian clay, comfortably defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to secure a remarkable 14th French Open title. His victory means he is now halfway to completing the Grand Slam this calendar year, with Wimbledon and the US Open still to come.
One problem standing in Nadal’s way though is his fitness problems, specifically his chronic foot injury, which at times have proven the only hurdle in what has been a superb first half of the year.
Next up on the Grand Slam calendar is of course a trip to SW19, and if fit enough the 36-year-old star has confirmed he will be there competing. Following his Roland Garros win he said: “I am going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss."
As well as injury issues, there were also added question marks over his participation at Wimbledon due to the historic event being stripped of its ranking points after it banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing. The absence of ranking points will no doubt leave many ATP and WTA stars contemplating their decision to play on famous grass later this month.
Nadal though has reiterated his intentions to compete regardless, if the body allows it. He continued: “Wimbledon is a priority, always has been a priority. If I'm able to play with anti-inflammatories, yes. 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. Let's see. I am always a positive guy and always expect the things are going the right way. Let's be confident, let's be positive and let's see what's going on."
How do you think Nadal would fare at Wimbledon? Let us know in the comments section.
Prior to this campaign’s successes, there were fears that the tennis great could well be calling a time on his career, due to his fitness battles with his foot. Even during his 2022 triumphs, his foot continues to pose an issue. However, Nadal has revealed the treatment plan that he hopes will help him compete on the SW19 grass in just three weeks.
“It's going to be a radio frequency injection on the nerve and trying to burn a little bit the nerve and create the impact that I have now on the nerve for a long period of time,” he added. “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, for example. 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."
