Rafael Nadal insisted on Saturday he was ready and raring to go in his bid to win back the Wimbledon crown he never got to defend
LONDON: Rafael Nadal insisted on Saturday he was ready and raring to go in his bid to win back the Wimbledon crown he never got to defend.
The world number one is back at the All England Club for his first appearance on its cherished grass courts since winning the men's singles title in 2008.
Nadal could not defend his trophy last year due to a recurring knee problem, and is desperate to recreate what he said was one of his finest achievementsu00a0-- victory on what he considers to be for him the toughest of surfaces.
"Winning the Wimbledon title is one of the more emotional moments in my career," the Mallorcan said.
"I worked hard all my life to improve my tennis in the rest of the surfaces other than clay. In clay, too, but that is a little bit easier for me.
"Winning on the most difficult surface, in probably the most important tournament of the world, was very important for me.
"This tournament is very special for everybody because it is probably the nicest in the world. It is always a pleasure be in this very beautiful club."
The second seed gets his campaign underway with a first round match against Japanese wildcard Kei Nishikori.
Talented youngster Nishikori is ranked outside the top 200 due to an elbow injury which stalled his progress last year, just as he was beginning to produce significant results.
"He is a very good player," Nadal said of his opponent. "He had an injury for the last year. But he has amazing potential.
