Concerns are mounting whether world number one Rafael Nadal would be fit enough to defend the Wimbledon title following his announcement to pull out of this week’s Queen’s Club tournament (where he’s also the defending champion) due to knee injury.
Despite this, Nadal issued a statement saying that he’s hoping to play in time for Wimbledon, which starts on June 22.
“I have been having some problems in the past months with my knees, that’s no secret, that did not allow me to compete always at 100 percent. I need to work with my team to recover well, work on my physical condition to be at my top form and get ready for the grass to play at Wimbledon. I hope I can be ready to compete by then,” he said.
The four-time Roland Garros champion made headlines last week following his early exit in Paris at the hands of Swedish player Robin Soderling. This served as his first loss in Parisian clay.
Surprisingly, the player that’s now enjoying a winning streak on clay is Swiss world number two Roger Federer. After winning the Madrid Open title, he went on to clinch his 14th career Grand Slam title in Paris.
He could win his 15th Slam title in Wimbledon where he already won five consecutive times before losing to Nadal last year.
After winning the French Open, Federer closed the gap between him and Nadal in the rankings. The difference is now down to 2,070 points.
