Rafael Nadal confirms his intention to compete at Wimbledon 2022
Rafael Nadal confirmed during his press conference at the Mallorca Country Club on Friday that he does indeed plan to play in the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.
The Spaniard, as reported by tennis journalist Sebastian Torok, revealed that the foot treatment he underwent in Barcelona has been a noticeable success and that he can already feel considerably less pain in his joints.
🗣 @RafaelNadal has The Championships in his sights...
#Wimbledon https://t.co/QZVnrIpKvc
As things stand at the moment, the Mallorcan plans to leave for London next week, as soon as his stint at the Balaeric Golf Championship is done.
"[The foot treatment that] was done in Barcelona is not a 100% immediate thing, but changes are noticeable. I have noticed them, strange sensations, my joint pain has decreased. My intention is to play at Wimbledon, travel to London on Monday," Rafael Nadal said.
#Nadal, en #Mallorca: "Lo que se hizo en Barcelona (tratamiento médico en el pie) no es una cosa 100% inmediata, pero se notan cambios, los he notado, sensaciones extrañas, me ha bajado el dolor articular (...) Mi intención es jugar @Wimbledon, viajar a #Londres el lunes". https://t.co/lN65yVaaVp
The 22-time Grand Slam champion further disclosed that he has completed two rounds of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA), both of which have been quite satisfactory. He further added that he has already trained for five days on grass, but plans to train for another week in London to fully come to terms with where his body is at and then make the right decision.
"It's a day-to-day issue. I have had two sessions of this treatment and they were satisfactory. These five days have allowed me to train and have answered well. After three years without playing on grass you have to be patient; every day I have been improving a little in the sensations," Nadal said, adding, "I have one week of training left in London. I hope it will help me to become competitive at Wimbledon."
@Wimbledon #Nadal: "Es un tema de dÃa a dÃa. No es una cosa matemática y menos en el problema que tengo yo (...) Se han hecho dos sesiones de este tratamiento y fueron satisfactorias. Estos 5 dÃas me han permitido entrenar y ha respondido bien".
Following Wimbledon, the World No. 4 hopes to take a short break so that his body can recuperate, and then travel to Canada and the USA for the North American hardcourt swing.
@Wimbledon #Nadal: "Después de 3 años sin jugar en hierba hay que tener paciencia; cada dÃa he ido mejorando un poquito en las sensaciones. Me queda una semana de entrenamiento en #Londres. Espero que me sirva para llegar competitivo a @Wimbledon. En la hierba hay poca lógica".
The Canadian Masters (August 5-14), where the former World No. 1 is a five-time winner, and the US Open (August 29 to September 11), where he is a four-time winner, are the two tournaments Nadal intends to play as of right now.
"My intention will be to play in Wimbledon, rest and then play in Canada and the US Open," Nadal said.
@Wimbledon #Nadal: "Mi intención será jugar @Wimbledon, descansar, jugar Canadá y el @usopen".
"If everything goes well, I'm going to be a father but I don't usually talk about my personal life" - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal also confirmed during the press conference that the rumors that he and his wife Maria Francisca Perello are expecting their first child together are also true. However, the Mallorcan declined to comment further on the issue, noting that he wanted to preserve the privacy of his family.
Regarding his thoughts on how the situation is going to affect his professional career, the 22-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he was still processing things and that he did not know exactly how his life was going to change.
"If everything goes well, I'm going to be a father. I don't usually talk about my personal life: I'm already exposed in my professional life. I don't know how life changes because I don't have experience," Rafael Nadal said.
@Wimbledon #Nadal: "Si todo va bien, voy a ser padre. No acostumbro hablar de mi vida personal: ya estoy expuesto en mi vida profesional (...) La forma en la que cambia la vida no lo sé porque no tengo experiencia".