Rafael Nadal will travel to London in fine form after cruising to his twelfth French Open title at Roland Garros last month.
Nadal fans will be hoping that he manages to reach his first Wimbledon final since 2011 next month as he aims to go within one Grand Slam of matching Roger Federer’s 20.
Although Federer has not let up in his training after winning the Halle Open title on Sunday, Nadal has treated himself to some down time on the eve on the tournament.
The Spaniard was spotted in the crowd as his beloved Mallorca secured promotion to the top flight with a 3-2 aggregate win over Deportivo La Coruna in the Sunday’s Segunda Division play-off final second-leg on Sunday.
Mallorca secured a return to La Liga after a seven-year absence and their most famous fan was on hand to cheer them on to victory after growing up on the Balearic island.
Nadal’s Wimbledon hopes received a blow after Federer’s win in Germany as he slipped down to third seed.
The ruling means Nadal will be placed in the same side of the draw as Novak Djokovic, with the pair set to meet in the semi-finals if they both progress.
When Federer was informed of the news that his 102nd ATP title would move him up from third in the rankings, he had no strong feelings toward the difference it might make.
He said: “It might make no difference if Rafa is in my section (laughs),” he said.
“I guess you could say I avoid Novak in the semis. But at the end of the day that is so far away.
“What it helps me [to do] is plan earlier. That’s it.”
In order to boost his chances at Wimbledon, Nadal will play compete in the Aspall Tennis Classic in Hurlingham next week.
“I am always happy to play at The Hurlingham Club and be close to UK tennis fans,” he said.
“It is a prestigious ground in one of the best settings in the UK, making it the perfect way to warm up for Wimbledon.
“After many months without playing on grass the first day I had a muscular overload because the grass is a little more unstable.
“So we decided to stop and continue with the training on both Wednesday and Thursday normally.”
