Rafa takes it kneesy in bid for Wimbledon
FRENCH CHAMPION BETTER THAN EVER.. IF HIS JOINTS HOLD UP
RAFA NADAL is playing the best tennis of his life, according to his coach Uncle Toni.
And Toni Nadal insisted the new French Open champion can win his third Wimbledon title – if his knees hold up on grass.
The new world No.2 will play at the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club next week to prepare for SW19.
His ruthless displays in Paris saw him claim his first Grand Slam title since 2014 after struggling with injuries and loss of form.
Toni (below with Rafa) will retire at the end of the season to run their tennis academy in Majorca.
But he reckons his 31-year-old nephew has returned to the top of the game a more complete player.
“Technically he is better than before, better than we have seen in recent years,” he said. “Nowadays Rafa has a truly brilliant backhand, something that before was difficult for us.
“I don’t know how many more French Open titles he will be able to win – 10 is already unbelievable. At Wimbledon, if Rafa’s knees are good, he can play well on grass. We know every year it is more difficult to win a Grand Slam title. We have to achieve these tournaments as quickly as possible.” Nadal has won only five matches in his last four Wimbledons and missed last year with the wrist problem which also ruled him out of Paris. “Since I have had problems with my knee in 2012, playing on grass has been very complicated for me,” he said. “We’ll see how my knee behaves.” This season is very different from 2016 when Andy Murray hunted down Novak Djokovic to become world No.1. Last year Roger Federer stopped playing after Wimbledon because of a knee injury – and Nadal’s knees forced him out in October. Both legends have since turned back the clock to win the first two Grand Slams of 2017. Former Grand Slam winner Mats Wilander, now a leading pundit, said: “Rafa should call Murray to thank him for killing Stan Wawrinka in the semi-final, but also phone Federer to say, ‘Roger, thank you for having shown me that you can still get stronger and improve at our age’. “It is like a marriage: when true love is there, you need to find new ways to love so it doesn’t get boring.”