Rafa Nadal will begin a hazardous path towards a third Wimbledon title on Monday just happy to have arrived at the grasscourt slam with a full complement of knees.
Almost a year after suffering one of the worst defeats of his career to Czech hitman Lukas Rosol, Nadal ventured back into the All England Club this week after claiming another French Open triumph, just as he did 12 months ago.
The difference this time is that his body appears to have paid a far smaller price to claim an eighth Roland Garros title than it did to chalk up number seven in 2012.
Nadal admitted it was a mistake even to turn up in leafy south-west London last year."I was not ready to play here. That's the real thing. I play with an infiltration (painkilling injection) from the first day," Nadal, seeded five this year, told reporters.
"Last year I played here because it's a tournament that I love. I tried my best. But after Roland Garros my knee was not there any more. After here I was not able to compete in one more tournament during the rest of the season.”
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