French Open champion Rafa Nadal ends retirement talk, says will play at Wimbledon if ‘body allows’

Rafa Nadal, a double Wimbledon champion, destroyed Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to stay undefeated in Roland Garros finals.

Rafa Nadal after winning French Open 2022 title. (Photo: Reuters)

French Open champion Rafa Nadal will play at Wimbledon later this month if his body allows him to, the Spaniard said on Sunday (June 5) after winning Roland Garros for a record-extending 14th time. “I am going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss,” said Nadal, who has been suffering from a chronic foot injury.

Nadal, a double Wimbledon champion, destroyed Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to stay undefeated in Roland Garros finals. The 36-year-old, who has won the season`s first two majors, now owns a men’s record 22 Grand Slam singles titles – two more than nearest rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Wimbledon starts on June 27.

Nadal explained that he had played Sunday’s final with a numbed foot thanks to a series of injections throughout the tournament, but that he would not go through a similar procedure again for the grasscourt Grand Slam. “Wimbledon is a priority, always has been a priority. If I`m able to play with anti-inflammatories yes,” Nadal said.

“To play with anaesthetic injections, I do not want to put myself in that position again. It can happen once but no it`s not the philosophy of life I want to follow. Let’s see. I am always a positive guy and always expect the things are going the right way. Let’s be confident, let’s be positive and let’s see what’s going on.”

King in his castle #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/9g7vn6DJlT

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

At the final in January’s Australian Open, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, came from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev and bag a second title there. A couple of months earlier he was even considering retiring after a foot problem that has troubled him throughout his career resurfaced, forcing him to miss much of the 2021 season including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.

He arrived in Paris with his own doctor to get through the tournament despite the injury.