MALLORCA/STARNBERG, June 18, 2022
Rafael Nadal has confirmed he intends to compete at The Championships at Wimbledon later this month. After winning two Grand-Slam titles at the Australian Open as well as at Roland-Garros this season, the 36-year-old Spaniard announced that the pain in his injured foot has eased.
Nadal suffers from the Müller-Weiss syndrome, which affects the bones in the feet. However, the World No. 4 practiced at home at the Mallorca Country Club in Santa Ponça this week and will travel to London on Monday to play at the The Hurlingham Club as he starts his preparation for the grass-court climax, which begins on Monday, June 27.
😎 @RafaelNadal 😎@atptour | @ATPTour_ES | #MallorcaChampionships pic.twitter.com/xJIb70y93z
— Mallorca Championships (@MallorcaChamps) June 17, 2022
“I’m happy, I haven’t been limping for a week,” said Nadal, who clinched the Wimbledon crown in 2008 and 2010.
“I have noticed changes with the treatment, still have strange sensations, sometimes I cant feel my foot, but the pain that did not allow me to support my weight on my foot has subsided.
“My intention is to play Wimbledon, but it will all depend on what happens with my body next week.
“I’m without pain for a week and have been practicing, so it tells me there may be a chance to play in the tournament.”
Nadal last reached the Wimbledon final 11 years ago, when he finished runner-up to Novak Djokovic.
“I haven’t played on grass for three years and I have to adapt, every day I have been recovering sensations and feeling better. I have a week left before playing and I have to test myself little by little,” said Nadal, who underwent radiofrequency ablation treatment – a procedure which uses heat on the nerve to calm long-term pain – last week.
“Advancing in the first rounds is crucial. If you advance, you pick up the pace to reach the end. You have to survive no matter what.”
In the lead-up to The Championships at Wimbledon, the biggest Balearic island will host the second edition of the Mallorca Championships next week. World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will be the top seed of the ATP 250 event.
