FRENCH Open champion Rafael Nadal said he will play no grasscourt warm-up tournaments ahead of Wimbledon but is confident he can mount a challenge for a third title in southwest London.
The Spaniard collected his 12th Roland Garros crown by beating Dominic Thiem on Sunday, moving him just two Grand Slam titles behind Roger Federer’s record of 20.
The 33-year-old will now head back home to Mallorca to recharge his batteries before heading to Wimbledon at the end of the month.
Nadal won at the All England Club in 2008 and 2010 but his record there since then has been mixed, although he did reach the semi-final last year.
“I know I played a great event last year. I have been able to be very close to win another title there,” Nadal, who was edged out by Novak Djokovic in an epic semi-final last year, told reporters in Paris.
Nadal has suffered with knee problems throughout his career and missed Wimbledon in 2009 and 2016.
He also had knee issues in the run-up to the French Open but played superbly throughout the fortnight.
Nadal believes he has been close to adding a third Wimbledon title to his collection in the last couple of years, when he also pitched up without any competitive grasscourt matches under his belt.
“Honestly, the last two years that I played in Wimbledon, I felt close again,” he said. (Eurosport Asia)
