Two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal started his campaign at the All England Club in a surprisingly error-prone fashion. Losing the first four games against Thomaz Belluci of Brazil in the first round but eventually clawed back and beat his opponent in straight sets 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-3. Belluci’s best finish at Wimbledon was a third round effort in 2010.
A patchy performance during the first week for the 11-time Grand Slam champion is expected due to lack of play during the short grasscourt season. He was bounced out of the Halle quarterfinals by Philipp Kohlschreiber and the transition from claycourts to grass can be a daunting challenge. However, Nadal has proven that he can be up to the challenge, achieving the feat of the Roland Garros-Wimbledon back to back title wins in 2008 and 2010. He has a chance to achieve this feat for the third time – having won the Roland Garros for the seventh time two weeks ago.
