Rafael Nadal eager to wrestle back Wimbledon crown from Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal with the Wimbledon trophy he won against Roger Federer in an epic final in 2008.

One might think Rafael Nadal would be happy to talk to anyone and everyone on his return to Wimbledon for the first time since his dramatic triumph in 2008.After all, he is fresh from a fifth French Open title and back to world No1. And one would be right – with one exception: Roger Federer.
The 24-year-old Nadal has been ducking the six-times Wimbledon champion in the past few days but his reticence has nothing to do with tennis or the pair's Wimbledon rivalry. Instead it is about football. The Spaniard is still smarting from his team's shock defeat by the Swiss at the World Cup finals. "I haven't seen Roger yet [and] I don't want to," Nadal said laughingly as he took a brief rest after a practice session at the All England Club.
Nadal will be glued to his television over the next two weeks with Spain's fortunes naturally close to his heart. But no matter how they get on, his concern for them will be a distant second to that for his own progress as he tries to regain the Wimbledon title with his confidence high after his triumph at Roland Garros.
His early defeat in the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club last week could prove a blessing. While he may need a bit more match practice on grass, the break allowed him to pop home to Mallorca for a few days to return to Wimbledon rested and psychologically in shape to take on the challenge of Federer again.

"I'm not tired physically but probably mentally for me the clay season was a lot of emotions, some very happy moments for me, a lot of intensity in a few matches," Nadal says. "For me it was a very important season. I did very well. After Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid and finally you win at Roland Garros it's like: 'You did it.' You go down a little bit [afterwards] but I hope I'll be ready for here. You lose a bit of tension."

If he needs any reminder of how to get the job done here, then he can just pull out the video of his 2008 victory over Federer, a final regarded as one of the greatest of all time and a win that inspires Nadal every time he sees it.

"It was amazing," Nadal said. "I think there were a lot of very good points, a lot of very good rallies, amazing shots from both of us. When you see that, you think: 'I can do it another time. I can play at this level on grass.' It seems impossible but to play at this level you need to have won a lot of matches before and you need to arrive at that moment with big confidence. I have the confidence but I need to adapt better to this surface, I need to play and I need to win matches."

Winning Wimbledon transformed Nadal from a man who was dominant on clay to a player who is likely to go down as one of the all-time greats. The top Spanish players used to take their holiday during Wimbledon but Nadal was transfixed by the place from the moment he arrived to play in the juniors. "For me it was a dream to win here," he says. "More than a dream. Spanish players in the past saw Wimbledon as something that was impossible to win, a different sport. But I always had my dream of doing well on this surface. Just being here and seeing this place, the nicest club in the world.

"My goal was always to play well here on grass. I did that in 2006, playing in the final for the first time. That was a big surprise for me. But to do it the next year made me think: 'I can really play well here.' I really wanted to win. And when I did that in 2008, if it wasn't the most emotional moment in my career it was one of the most for sure."

Missing Wimbledon 12 months ago, when tendinitis in both knees forced him off the tour for two months, was the lowpoint of his year, coinciding with problems in his parents' marriage. The way he has bounced back in the past six months suggest he is back in the kind of shape he was in 2008, when he beat Federer to win the title.

There is an argument that he is the de facto defending champion this time round but typically Nadal will not hear a word of it.

"Roger's always the defending champion here," he said. "He's won six times already. That's unbelievable. And seven finals in a row. That's amazing."

Nadal, despite all his wealth and enormous fame, remains among the most down to earth of sportsmen and still lives in his family home in Manacor. The replica of his Wimbledon trophy retains pride of place, sandwiched between his five French Opens. "

I have my Wimbledon trophy on top of my TV," he said. Is it clean? "My Wimbledon trophy is in perfect condition. The Roland Garros trophies, after a year, two years, they go dark and you have to polish them. The Wimbledon one, it's perfect."

Maybe he will need to find room for another one in a fortnight's time.

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Simon Cambers