During a press conference held in Mallorca last Friday, Rafael Nadal made official his participation in Wimbledon. The Spanish phenomenon, capable of winning the first two majors of the season, has no intention of stopping here and will go hunting for his third seal on the London meadows.
Thanks to a new treatment with Dr. Cotorro, the former world number 1 has managed to alleviate the pain in his foot and should be in London in good condition. Recall that Rafa had been forced to anesthetize his foot in order to take the field in Paris, managing to lift the trophy for the 14th time in his extraordinary career.
The 36-year-old from Manacor has hoisted himself to 22 slams, further stretching Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the all-time standings. The Iberian won twice in Church Road, respectively in 2008 and 2010, while last year he had to forfeit due to injury.
Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Prakash Amritraj analyzed in detail Nadal’s chances at the Championships.
Rafa Nadal won two Slams this year
“This footage (Nadal practicing) of Rafael Nadal, it’s just something that puts a smile on everyone’s face.
The guy is such an inspiration. He is still playing unbelievable tennis, 14th French Open, going for a Calendar Slam this year at this age is absolutely mind-boggling. We don’t know how many opportunities we’re going to get to watch him on the court.
So now, I think every single time he steps on the court, it’s a true event. It’s very special that we’re going to see him at Wimbledon,” Amritraj said. Amritraj believes that although the 22-time Grand Slam champion is not the clear favorite, he could spring a surprise since he has vast experience.
“Hopefully the grass is a little bit softer on his foot, maybe the points are a little bit shorter. He is one of the guys who has a tremendous amount of experience which not a lot of other people have. He’s a very underrated volleyer, he can serve and volley quite well, uses that backhand slice well.
So perhaps someone not everyone’s thinking of as a favorite for Wimbledon, but who knows? He’s won the thing twice. Why not a third? He has done everything else impossible in this sport,” said Amritraj. Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach spoke about the physical state of his nephew.
With the Wimbledon Championships at the doorstep, he said, “It is almost impossible for Rafa to play because he needs rest before a Grand Slam. The week before, he prefers to train calmly and not be competing”.