Rafael Nadal came to Wimbledon in good form, but it will take a few matches to be able to judge. The former world number 1 won the first two majors of 2022, proving for the umpteenth time that he is an absolute legend in modern sport.
Thanks to a series of infiltrations and the help of Dr Cotorro, the Spanish champion lifted his 14th trophy at Roland Garros leaving everyone speechless.
Rafa took advantage of Alexander Zverev’s retirement in the semi-finals, to eliminate poor Casper Ruud in the final act. The 36-year-old from Manacor has moved up to 22 Grand Slams, +2 from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the all-time rankings.
The Iberian also hopes to shine at Wimbledon, where he has not triumphed since 2010. The Mallorcan stopped in the semi-finals in 2018 and 2019, while last year he had to withdraw due to injury .
At the Tennis Channel microphones, Jan-Michael Gambill analyzed Nadal’s scoreboard in detail. After a soft start against Francisco Cerundolo, the 22-time Grand Slam champion could meet Sam Querrey in the second round.
Rafa Nadal has opted for a new foot treatment.
“I like Querrey’s position in the draw. I think he goes through (Ricardas) Berankis if he plays well. Could he be a threat to Rafael Nadal? I think so.
There have been times in the past that Rafa struggled with big servers on the grass at Wimbledon. So it’s an interesting match,” said Gambill. Former WTA No. 1 Tracy Austin, who was also in the segment, picked two other American players who she thinks can make deep runs at Wimbledon. This year.
“I also picked Frances Tiafoé. Most people would say, ‘Why? He hasn’t won a game on grass this year. But I like his draw and I think when Frances is on fire on the big stage, it can pass.
He has Casper Ruud, the 3rd seed, in his section and I choose him against Ruud on grass,” Austin said of Tiafoe. The Spaniard was present as part of the pre-match conference before his first round match against Francisco Cerundolo.
After being questioned by numerous journalists about his footing, Nadal didn’t seem too happy. He said, “Well, are you going to talk [de] my foot today? Not anymore.
If it’s good for you guys. I’ve always been very open, but you can’t talk about my foot every day. We forget the most important thing which is tennis. I can’t tell you, I have no experience with that. Something new. I didn’t try,” added Rafael Nadal.
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