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By Chris Oddo | Sunday, June 22, 2014

 
Rafael Nadal Wimbledon 2014

Despite his early loss in Halle, Rafael Nadal is feeling better about his form after a few long practice days at Wimbledon.

Photo Source: Al Bello/Getty

Despite suffering a straight-sets drubbing in his only grass-court match before Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal is upbeat about his form and his health heading into this year’s Championships.

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The 14-time Grand Slam and two-time Wimbledon champion says that the rough experience in Halle, though shorter than he would have liked, gave him a chance to get a feel for the grass. It also afforded the nine-time Roland Garros champion to clear his head and take some much-needed relaxation at home in Mallorca with friends and family.

“I came back home,” Nadal told reporters on Saturday at Wimbledon. “I didn't practice tennis for a while. I went a few days with the family, with friends. I was able to go for a party on Saturday with my friends. I was able to go to the beach few days in Mallorca. Work little bit physical performance on the gym. But I didn't practice tennis there. I needed a few days off for my back after a lot of stress for my back in Roland Garros.”

Upon his arrival at the All England Club, Nadal has ramped up his preparations, however.

“I am practicing hard since I arrived here,” Nadal said. “More than usual. Practicing more hours than what I usually do in the tournament. That's positive that my physical performance, especially my knee, give me the chance to practice that much to prepare for the tournament, because is only tournament of the year that you don't have weeks of preparation and matches to understand how you are playing or to know how you are playing on that surface.”

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Nadal is hoping that the extra work on court will help him get reacquainted with the slick, fast-playing Wimbledon grass that, at times in the past, has felt foreign to him, especially after his customary three-plus month grind on the clay.

Having lost five of his last seven matches on grass, including being bounced from Wimbledon before the third round in his last two appearances, Nadal knows the first week is a very dangerous time for him.

“It is really the most dangerous tournament of the year,” he said. “When I arrive to Roland Garros I already played for one month on clay. I played a lot of matches. So more or less I can imagine how I am going to play. U.S. Open is the same. Australia, is true that is the beginning of the season, but is surface that we know so is not a dramatic change, no? Here, especially the beginning of the tournament, the courts are a little bit faster. The feeling on court is a little bit strange for everybody.”

Nadal will open his bid for a third Wimbledon title against Martin Klizan of Slovakia in the first round, and the Spaniard could be looking at a highly anticipated rematch with Lukas Rosol, the man who defeated him in five sets in the second round of Wimbledon in 2012, in round two.

Main draw play at the 2014 Championships begins on Monday.

 

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