Rafael Nadal will sharpen his grasscourt game at London’s Queen’s Club ahead of Wimbledon in June, organisers of the Aegon Championships said on Tuesday.
The 14-time grand slam champion, ranked No 5 in the world, has fond memories of Queen’s, having won the title there in 2008 before going on to beat Roger Federer a few weeks later and claim his first Wimbledon crown.
Defending champion Andy Murray is also confirmed for the traditional warm-up event which starts on June 13.
Comment: Rafael Nadal walking confidence tightrope as he looks for clay comfort in South America
“Holding that trophy again would be amazing although I am well aware of the difficulties because the tournament always has so many good players,” Nadal said.
Before his thoughts turn to grass, however, Nadal will seek to return to the kind of form that once made him dominate men’s tennis, particularly on clay.
He suffered a disappointing first-round exit at the Australian Open and with his 30th birthday looming his aura is in danger of fading.
He has not won a title since August in Hamburg and has not added to his grand slam collection since the 2014 French Open when he ruled at Roland Garros for a record ninth time.
He is top seed at this week’s Buenos Aires Open.
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