Rafael Nadal has signalled his intentions to play at Wimbledon this summer as he aims for a third consecutive Grand Slam win.
Despite being plagued by a foot injury which ended his 2021 campaign prematurely, Nadal, 36, captured his 22nd Slam title at the French Open this month. That followed him winning the Australian Open in February, fighting back from two sets down in the final to overcome Daniil Medvedev.
His triumph at Roland Garros came amid a series of painkilling injections, with the 'King of Clay' joking to reporters he would rather 'a new foot' than a 14th French Open title. Still, he came through an epic quarter-final with Novak Djokovic before an injury to Alexander Zverev curtailed the pair's final four clash.
Nadal then blew away Casper Ruud in the final, but after admitting to being in searing pain, was reluctant to commit to appearing at SW19. However, in a major boost to the All England Tennis Club, the iconic figure has now altered that stance.
"My intention is to play Wimbledon," Nadal told reporters in Mallorca. "I have trained well this week and my departure on Monday for London is to that effect."
But he still sounded a note of caution, claiming his injury would be monitored closely ahead of the tournament, which starts on June 27. He has already undergone intensive treatment on the problem in Barcelona.
"My foot situation must be evaluated day after day, so at this moment I don't have this certainty of being able to play," he added. "I just know that I want to play the tournament, but we must also be careful. Now it's too early to give a definitive answer.
"In the first days I had complicated feelings, day after day I got better. One more week of training in London and I hope to be able to play at Wimbledon and to be competitive to do so."
If Nadal does make it, it will be his first Wimbledon appearance since 2019, where he was beaten by Roger Federer in the semi-finals. It was the first time the pair had met since the final in 2008, when the Spaniard won his first of two grass-court major crowns.
He is also now halfway to completing his first ever calendar Grand Slam. Furthermore, only once before, in 2010, has he ever captured three major titles in the same year
And organisers will be desperate to see one of the game's most iconic figures there, with the men'e event set to be plagued by a lack of star power. The decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players means the world No 1, Medvedev, will be absent.
Federer is also still undergoing rehabilitation from his third bout of knee surgery last year, whilst Zverev is also ruled out from his injury in Paris. Home hero Andy Murray is sweating on his fitness, having suffered an abdominal strain playing in Stuttgart this month.
