Will Rafael Nadal Participate In Wimbledon? French Open Champion Is Not Sure

Rafael Nadal says he will speak with his team to decide on whether he will participate at Wimbledon next month following his 11th French Open win.

The Spaniard comfortably defeated Dominic Thiem in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win Sunday to retain his French Open crown and extend his record to 17 Grand Slam victories.

With four titles out of five won on clay this season after his return from injury in April, the attention now shifts to the grass-court season which will mean a return to action for Roger Federer who will not only be looking to win another Wimbledon title but also regain his No. 1 ranking from Nadal.

But Nadal, who turned 32 earlier this month, hinted at following the Swiss legend's lead by potentially skipping the grass-court season as he maintained his health and fitness were priority.

"Difficult for me to think about it now," Nadal said, as per Express. "My preparation, I believe, last year went well. And now I have to come back to speak with my team. Of course decide what's better for my body. No, that's the main thing always."

"I would love to be playing in as many places as possible, but you understand I need to check how I feel in the next couple of days. Of course is a drastic change from clay to grass. And I did it in the past when I was much younger, quicker, because I played back to back. But it's time to check how I feel in the next couple of days."

Following his French Open win last year, Nadal looked like setting up another SW19 final with Federer, only to crash out in the fourth round to Luxembourg's Gilles Muller in a five-set thriller.

Federer, meanwhile, would go on to win his 20th Grand Slam at the event and is undoubtedly the betting favorite to win this year. In addition, should Nadal not feature in Wimbledon this year, he will lose his No. 1 ranking if Federer retains his grass titles but the 11-time French Open winner is not worried about the rankings.

"Today is all about Roland Garros. I don't think about the rankings at all today," Nadal added. "Then I will be No 1 for a while, but that's all. What really matters for me is have this trophy again with me. That means a lot. As everybody knows, for me is the most important tournament of the year."

Nadal currently has a 100-point lead over Federer in the rankings with 8,770 points following his French Open win. He will lose 180 points if he does not take part in the grass-court season, which means Federer could overtake him if he defends his titles at the Halle Open and Wimbledon.

Federer could also further establish a lead depending on how well he does at the Stuttgart Open after crashing out in the round of 16 last year to Tommy Haas. Wimbledon takes place from July 2 to 15.