Wimbledone

Ooof. This is hard news to take. Rafa will not defend his title at Wimbledon this year. I was afraid of this. I hope my guy can rest and recover and make a go of it in the Hardcourt Season. Rafa not participating in Wimbledon will make the tourney less exciting for me, if Federer makes it to the Final I honestly don't think there's anyone else in the field that can challenge him. But it would be worse for Nadal to play the tournament in compromised physical condition. Maybe there will be an opportunity for someone like Murray to capture the title and make for a really compelling story, but right now I'm doubtful and quite disappointed.

In his own words: "I am not fit enough to play and as I said, I can't go on the centre court of Wimbledon if I am not 100% fit to play. The evolution of my knees are better, that's why I tried at Hurlingham, but I am not at the required level to play. As you can all imagine I am very disappointed, but I had to take this decision, one of the worst of my career."

Rafa will go back to his home in Mallorca, continuing his training and recovery. In the meanwhile, I will be reading Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played, and hoping for a Federer-Nadal Championship Match at the US Open in September. Rest well, Rafa.