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.