The two Spaniards reach the third Grand Slam of the season with no wins on grass and with complicated draws and Djokovic is the top favorite
Caution should be the basis of the Spaniards at Wimbledon. Especially Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. One because it takes three years without playing the tournament; the other, because his experience on grass is limited. The pictures, complicated and full of traps, don’t help either. It will not be an easy Wimbledon. It has practically never been for Nadal, who has not played a final in London since 2011 and has always been one of those who has suffered the most in the transition from clay to grass, especially as it has been a rare year where he has not been part of the game. the final rounds of Roland Garros.
The Spaniard, with 22 Grand Slam titles under his belt and 14 tournaments in Paris, has run a time trial to be ready for this Wimbledon. First rest after the effort in France. Then undergo an innovative foot treatment to soothe the pain and avoid the constant infiltrations and anesthetics that followed him in Paris.
“I can walk normally every day. When I wake up, I no longer have the pain I had for a year and a half. In training I have generally been better. In the past few weeks I haven’t had one of these days that hurt me terribly,” the man from Manacor explained this Saturday.
Aside from the left foot problem, Nadal has been focusing on improving his level on the All England Club training grounds since Monday. Daily sessions of several hours combined with training matches with tennis players of the level of Grigor Dimitrov and Frances Tiafoe, as well as two practice matches. The first ended with a win, against a subdued Stan Wawrinka, whom he defeated in straight sets. The second fell on Felix Auger-Aliassime’s side, who pushed him to five sets at Roland Garros, beating him in three sets at Hurlingham.
“I don’t know how I got there; it is difficult to predict. It is the most difficult tournament to predict. It’s a tricky surface that you have to spend days on. I haven’t played anything for three years and that makes it extra complicated. Memory is important because the most recent memory you have on this surface helps. Within what is possible it was a logical week, with better moments and worse moments. I’m clearly on an upward trend,” Nadal reflected.
His first-round rival is Argentinian Francisco Cerúndolo, who has hardly any experience on this surface but is more experienced, with three matches between Queen’s and Eastbourne. The debut is Tuesday, in the second or third team on center court. Sam Querrey, Marin Cilic, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Matteo Berrettini are the long-term concerns, but the first hurdle is Cerúndolo.
Alcaraz, with elbow problems
On the other side of the draw, with his debut already scheduled for Monday no earlier than 3pm London time, is Carlos Alcaraz. The Murcian is playing in the main draw for the second time in his career, after reaching the second round last season, beating Daniil Medvedev in three sets. After six glorious months, with two Masters 1,000 and two ATP 500, Alcaraz reaches a surface he likes but isn’t so sure about.
His experience is limited and the elbow has not helped. He ended up with discomfort at Roland Garros and the pain didn’t allow him to play at Queen’s. He has proven himself in two exhibitions at Hurlingham, with a tie in the area, and both ended in outright defeats against both Frances Tiafoe and Casper Ruud, a player who has only two wins on this surface.
Alcaraz, who has moved away from the favorite character his position and reputation attribute to him, will make his debut against German server Jan-Lennard Struff, who has had little rhythm and few games this year.
In the rest of the table, of course, Novak Djokovic stands out, six-time Wimbledon winner and a fourth in a row aspiring to win, something only Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer have achieved. The Serb is the top favorite for the title and may be facing his last Grand Slam of the season, as the United States refused to allow him entry for the time being because he had not been vaccinated. “I know, but there’s not much I can do about it anymore. It’s the government that decides,” Djokovic added.
Source: La Verdad
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