Nadal to miss Queen’s

Rafael Nadal’s highly-anticipated transition to grass will take longer than expected, with the Spaniard following the advice of his medical team by withdrawing from next week’s Aegon Championships at Queen’s.

It followed an intense clay court season in which Nadal won Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, before his history-making 10^th victory at Roland Garros.

“I am sad to make this decision because I love Queen’s, I won the tournament in 2008 and every time I reached the Wimbledon final it was after playing Queen’s,” Nadal announced in a statement on Facebook.

“I was hoping to take some days off and then be ready, but at 31, and after a long clay court season with all of the emotions of Roland Garros, and after speaking to my team and doctor, I have decided my body needs to rest if I am going to be ready to play Wimbledon.”

Also a finalist at the Australian Open, Acapulco and Miami, Nadal has already contested almost 50 matches in 2017, his 43-6 record making him a tour leader.

Re-instated at world No.2 following his emphatic French Open triumph – which marked the third time he’d achieved victory without the loss of a set – Nadal could technically return to world No.1 if he maintains form at Wimbledon.

But grass presents unique challenges for the fiercely-intense competitor. “Since I have had problems with my knee, since 2012, playing on grass has been very complicated for me,” Nadal conceded after his latest victory at the French Open.

Even so, the resurgent Spaniard is hungry to add more history to his stunning Grand Slam resume.

“But keep in mind I played five finals in Wimbledon,” he added. “I like playing on grass. On grass, anything can happen. I’m motivated.”

In the meantime, world No.1 and defending champion Andy Murray will headline Queen’s, following the lifetime commitment he made to the event earlier this season.

Reigning US Open champion and recent French Open finalist Stan Wawrinka, who has added renowned coach Paul Annacone to his team for the grass season, is also among the high-profile contenders.

Milos Raonic (the 2016 runner-up), Grigor Dimitrov, Juan Martin del Potro, Nick Kyrgios, Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych will also vie for the prestigious title.