Rafael Nadal intends to compete at Wimbledon and reveals wife is expecting their first child | Tennis News

Rafael Nadal intends to compete at Wimbledon later this month when he will attempt to win a record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title; the Spaniard will join Novak Djokovic at The Hurlingham Club which runs from 21-26 June

Rafael Nadal intends to compete at Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal has confirmed he intends to compete at Wimbledon later this month, while also announcing his wife Mery Perello is pregnant with their first child.

After winning both the Australian and French Opens this year, Nadal, who turned 36 earlier this month, confirmed that the pain in his injured foot has eased.

The Spaniard, who has a rare degenerative condition called Muller-Weiss syndrome, which affects the bones in the feet, will travel to London on Monday to play at the The Hurlingham Club as he starts his preparation for the grass-court showpiece, which begins on Monday, June 27.

“I’m happy, I haven’t been limping for a week,” said Nadal, who won Wimbledon 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 practising, so it tells me there may be a chance to play in the tournament.”

Nadal won a record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros earlier this month

Nadal won a record-extending 14th title at Roland Garros with painkilling injections prior to each match.

The issue, which forced him to take five months off in 2021, returned in Rome prior to the French Open, after he came back in May from a six-week injury break.

Nadal has not played Wimbledon since 2019 when he reached the semi-finals. The tournament was not held the following year due to the pandemic, and he missed the 2021 edition due to injury.

He 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.”

Nadal also confirmed that his wife Mery Perello is pregnant with their first child.

“If everything goes well, I’m going to be a father. I’m not used to talking about my private life. We live more peacefully with a lower profile. I don’t expect that my life will change much with it,” he said.

“At the moment all has worked well for me and I am not a friend of changing what works well. My intention is to play Wimbledon, rest, then Canada and then be ready for the US Open.”

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