LONDON (AFP) – Rafael Nadal remains the king of clay, but the world No. 1 arrives at Wimbledon harboring only slender hopes of winning the tournament for the first time since 2010.
Nadal extended his incredible record on the red dirt of Roland Garros earlier this month as he crushed Dominic Thiem to win his 11th French Open title.
The Spaniard has enjoyed another golden period on his favored clay this year, claiming the Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome titles as well as his latest triumph in Paris.
That dominant streak extended Nadal’s impressive renaissance after two years of injury woe.
He has won three of the last five Grand Slams, taking the French Open two years in a row and lifting the US Open trophy in 2017.
But, while the 32-year-old’s superiority on clay is unquestioned, Nadal has found it far harder to transfer that dominance to the All England Club’s lawns in the latter stages of his career.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion won the most recent of his two Wimbledon titles eight years ago and hasn’t been past the last 16 since 2011.
Nadal has admitted in the past that he finds it hard to make the transition from clay to grass.
