Rafael Nadal is bracing himself for another Wimbledon letdown as he prepares to rekindle his love-hate relationship with the All England Club.
The 28-year-old Spaniard stormed to a ninth French Open triumph yesterday with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 win over Novak Djokovic which also secured his 14th Grand Slam crown.
But he is not optimistic about collecting a 15th major when Wimbledon gets under way on June 23 despite having been champion on two occasions.
His first title in 2008 was followed by a knee injury-enforced absence 12 months later.
In 2010, he was Wimbledon champion for a second time before finishing runner-up to Djokovic the following year.
Things then got steadily worse with a second round exit against Lukas Rosol in 2012 sparking a seven-month absence from the tour as his knee problems flared up again while, in 2013, he was dumped out in the first round by Belgian journeyman Steve Darcis.
That was the only time Nadal has ever exited a Grand Slam in the first round.
"I am going to Halle on Monday (for the grasscourt warm-up event in Germany). I want to try to play well at Wimbledon again," said Nadal.
"I am healthy, that's the most important thing. I hope my knee will have a positive feeling on grass because I felt my knee was better last year on the other surfaces.
"Grass is always a little bit harder for me after injury. I played Wimbledon in 2012 with my knee injury and I never played another match after. Last year I tried but I was not ready enough to compete.
"Let's see how are my feelings this year because it's a very important tournament."
After his loss to world number 135 Darcis last year, Nadal came under pressure to skip future grasscourt seasons if he wanted to prolong his career.
One of those urging him to rethink was three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker who has since gone on to join Djokovic's coaching set-up.
