Rafael Nadal fitness update: Spaniard ‘optimistic’ as he trains on grass, but yet to decide about Wimbledon

Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal plays a shot

Rafael Nadal has taken tentative steps towards a return to action following treatment on his chronic foot injury, but he is yet to make a decision about competing at Wimbledon.

Shortly after winning a 14th Roland Garros crown and a 22nd Grand Slam, Nadal admitted that he is not sure if he will play at the All England Tennis Club this year as he played with “no feeling in his foot” at the French Open, using cortisone injections to get through matches.

However, he also revealed that he was set to undergo a new course of nerve therapy.

“It’s going to be a radiofrequency injection on the nerve to try to burn the nerve a little bit and create the impact that I have now on the nerve for a long period of time,” he said.

The Spaniard added: “If that works, I’m going to keep going. If not then it’s going to be another story.”

He completed the first round of treatment last week and was on crutches for a few days, but Carrusel Deportivo has tweeted that he trained on the grass at the Santa Ponsa Country Club in Mallorca.

The 36-year-old will train again “in the next few days to see if the foot responds well to treatment as it has done up to now”.

A source told the Cadena SER sports programme that “the sensations are positive but we have to see how it evolves with the workload” and “if the answer is positive during the week, he will decide whether to take the step and participate in @Wimbledon. There is optimism, but with caution to see the evolution.”

If all goes according to plan, then Nadal could enter the Mallorca Championships, which starts on June 20, and use it as a warm-up event for Wimbledon with the third Grand Slam of the year kicking off on June 27.

Nadal is in the hunt for a Calendar Grand Slam as he also won the Australian Open at the start of the year.

Rafael Nadal

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