Rafael Nadal came under pressure on Tuesday to turn his back on Wimbledon if he wants to extend his career and preserve his reputation as one of the sport’s greatest and most-feared competitors. The Spaniard suffered his first ever loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam when he slumped to a straight sets defeat to Belgium’s world number 135 Steve Darcis.
It was another twist in the 27-year-old’s bittersweet relationship with the tournament, where he has been champion twice but also now endured back-to-back humiliating losses. Twelve months ago, he was defeated in the second round by Czech number 100 Lukas Rosol, a shocker which forced him to take a seven-month break from the tour to rest his increasingly unreliable knees. ‘He definitely has to consider whether grass has a future for him,’ three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker said. ‘I almost thought that he should contemplate not playing this year.’
Nadal arrived at Wimbledon having wrapped up a record eighth French Open title. ‘Grass is very different compared to the other surfaces. Your movement is different and you have to have healthy legs because you’re changing direction’ added Becker. ‘I wouldn’t worry about Nadal playing on hard courts or indoors but I always thought grass was an issue.’