Wimbledon 2022: Rafael Nadal warms up with first grass-court exhibition match in 3 years

Record 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal of Spain is back on time to play the 2022 Wimbledon, which gets underway in London on Monday. He will be looking to extend his feat of winning the most Slams by a male in the Open Era and take the toll to 23, as he would be eyeing his third Wimbledon title, having won his last over a decade ago, in 2010. Meanwhile, as a part of his preparations for the Slam, he played an exhibition match on Wednesday, which happened to be his first match on the surface in three years.

Nadal's last match on the surface occurred in 2019 when he lost the Wimbledon semis to Roger Federer of Switzerland. Meanwhile, his exhibition match happened to be against Federer's countryman Stan Wawrinka, while the Spaniard won the match.

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Following the match, Nadal told reporters, "It has been a while without playing on grass. Since 2019 I haven't been able to play on grass through the tough moments we went through with the pandemic, and last year, I got injured."

"I am older now - I can't manage to play so many matches. For me, playing a couple of matches here before Wimbledon starts is perfect. That helps me feel at least some competition before Wimbledon," added Nadal.

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Nadal recently won the French Open 2022 for the record-extending 14th time and played the final with an injured foot. Consequently, there were doubts over his Wimbledon participation. However, he seems to have recovered on time for the same, while he will face a stern challenge to win the Championship in London.