Nadal's Medical Problems Heading Into Wimbledon

by Yuliya Talmazan | June 8, 2009 at 12:36 pm

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Rafael Nadal took a painful blow both mentally and physically at the French Open this year. Nadal was going for the fifth straight win at Roland Garros last week when out of nowhere came Sweden's No. 23 seeded Robin Soderling, defeating Spain's tennis legend.

Now, Nadal has mental and physical issues to deal with. Not only does Nadal have to get over his disappointment, which was evident after his surprising loss against Robin Soderling on June 1, but he is also having his knees checked by doctors heading into Wimbledon to be held June 22-July 5 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. By Wednesday, the tennis world should know the verdict on Nadal's participation at Wimbledon.

A posting on Nadal’s Web site said the reigning Wimbledon champion is in Barcelona for medical tests Monday and Tuesday. He is expected to make an announcement by Wednesday.

Nadal withdrew from this week’s Wimbledon tuneup at Queen’s Club in London, citing knee trouble.

“I have been having some problems in the past months with my knees—that’s no secret—that did not allow me to compete always at 100 percent,” Nadal said Friday, when he pulled out of the Queen’s Club event. “I need to work with my team to recover well, work on my physical condition to be at my top form and get ready for the grass to play at Wimbledon. I hope I can be ready to compete by then.”