Rafael Nadal has won the season’s opening two Majors for the first time in a career. Nadal claimed the second Australian Open crown at the beginning of the year, and he delivered his 14th Roland Garros trophy on Sunday to improve his tally to 22 Major titles. Nadal had to receive an injection ahead of every match in Paris for his troubled left foot, and he will have to consider the Wimbledon participation. The Spaniard will give everything to travel to London and seek the third Wimbledon crown, although he can not afford to play the entire event under injections again. Nadal is a two-time Wimbledon champion from 2008 and 2010, playing in a couple more finals and skipping the most prestigious tennis event in 2004, 2009, 2016 and 2021 due to various injuries. The Spaniard played in five consecutive Wimbledon finals between 2006 and 2011, and he lost the ground entirely between 2012 and 2017 after failing to reach the quarter-final! Nadal raised his level at Wimbledon in 2018, beating five rivals for his first semi-final in seven years.
Novak Djokovic halted Nadal in an epic five sets and five hours and 15 minutes of a two-day battle! A year later, Rafa lost one set en route to another Wimbledon semi-final, where he stood no chance against Roger Federer. Standing half away from a calendar Grand Slam, Rafa will seek the 23rd Major crown in London if his foot allows him to compete and endure the best-of-five sets efforts. Until he decides, Nadal will enjoy his most recent success in Paris, conquering the 14th Roland Garros from 18 trips to the French capital.
Rafael Nadal will give his everything to compete at Wimbledon.
After digging deep against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, Rafa enjoyed a relaxed day at the office in the final. He defeated the first-time Major winner Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in two hours and 18 minutes after a solid performance in the opening two sets. Ruud had his chances, but it was insufficient to challenge the greatest clay-courter ever. Rafa pushed the rival’s backhand to the limits and grabbed eight breaks from 16 opportunities. The Spaniard tamed his strokes nicely and forged a massive advantage in the mid-range and the most extended exchanges to sail towards the finish line and write history books.
“I will play at Wimbledon if my body allows me. Wimbledon is a tournament nobody wants to miss, and I’m always ready to compete there. Let’s see how it works. If I can play with anti-inflammatories, I will give it a try. If not, I will have to skip it. I do not want to put myself in that position again. It can happen once, but it’s not a philosophy of life that I want to follow,” Rafael Nadal said.