Rafael Nadal has told how he relishes living in London during Wimbledon because of the city’s bustling nightlife.
Nadal, 28, rents a house in Wimbledon Village each year for the tournament, which starts next week. “London has a lot of life,” he said. “Wimbledon is a beautiful village in a big city. You go to eat out at night and everywhere there’s people. Just like in Spain, people like to be outside, even though the weather is bad. Without that positive spirit the city would be very boring.”
Not all of Nadal’s Wimbledon memories are happy, although he has won twice, and he confessed to crying in the showers after his defeat by Roger Federer in the 2007 final. He told ES magazine: “When I lost the Wimbledon final to Federer I wept on the floor of the locker room shower. That was a hard one. Five sets. I’d lost the year before too.
“I felt that I’d had my chances in that game and those moments you aren’t sure the same chances will come again.”
One of his biggest rivals this year will once again be Andy Murray, and Nadal admitted: “His serve is better than mine. His backhand is better than mine. We both have good movement but maybe, when the ball comes to my forehand, I am better.”
Fans at Wimbledon can expect the 28 tonnes of traditional British strawberries served there to be “sweeter and juicier than normal” thanks to a vintage crop in perfect ripening conditions.
