Rafael Nadal insists he will not change his schedule next year despite crashing out in yesterday’s first round.
The Spaniard appeared to be underprepared for grass-court tennis and struggling for fitness as he succumbed in straight sets to Belgian world No135 Steve Darcis yesterday.
Since returning from a seven-month lay-off with a knee injury in February, Nadal racked up a 43-2 win/loss record and amassed seven titles from nine tournaments entered.
It was a gruelling calendar that prompted his withdrawal from a grass-court warm-up event at Halle and left him with no competitive playing time on the surface prior to arriving at SW19.
However, Nadal won his eighth French Open title at Roland Garros and claims he has no regrets over his tournament planning.
“My feelings were that I played the weeks that I felt right to play,” he said. “At Wimbledon, I tried to arrive as good as possible to this tournament, knowing that this year will be harder than ever, and it was.
“The calendar was perfect for me, winning seven tournaments of the nine and playing two finals. I cannot say I will make something different today because I will not. I will repeat my calendar. My season has been fantastic, much better than I thought five months ago. So I am happy. I know that loss [yesterday] can happen and it happened. That’s all.”
Nadal’s surprise defeat to Lukas Rosol last year prompted his long lay-off and the 27-year-old hinted at another break when asked when he would return to the court. He said: “Not very late, not that late, for sure.”
Nadal’s long-time rival Roger Federer enjoyed serene progress in easing past Romania’s Victor Hanescu and revealed his pride at beginning proceedings on Centre Court as defending champion.
“It’s always been a dream come true for me,” he said.
