Rafael Nadal says he won’t play Wimbledon warmups

Spain’s Rafael Nadal lifts the trophy as he celebrates his record 12th French Open tennis tournament title after winning his men’s final match against Austria’s Dominic Thiem in four sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Rafael Nadal says he will again not play any warmup tournaments before Wimbledon.

Nadal hasn’t entered a grass-court tournament ahead of Wimbledon in any season since 2015. That year, he appeared in two grass events between Roland Garros and the All England Club — and then lost in the second round at Wimbledon.

Fresh off his 12th French Open title, Nadal says, “Why do I need to change that? … What gives me (a) better chance is to be healthy than playing a lot of matches.”

Nadal’s two Wimbledon titles came in 2008 and 2010. He is also a three-time runner-up at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, but he hasn’t reached the final since 2011. Wimbledon starts July 1.