Wimbledon, the oldest and one of the most prestigious Grand Slams, will kick off on June 27 and the finals will be held on July 10. Some of tennis’ biggest names have already confirmed their entry for The All England Lawn Tennis Championships while several have said that they have full intention to participate. 

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One day after 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal said that he would play an exhibition at Hurlingham in order to prepare for the Wimbledon, his arch-rival Novak Djokovic confirmed his entry. The Serb is a part of the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic tournament player field, which will be held from June 21 to 26.

Other star players like Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime will also take part at Hurlingham, a prepping event for the Wimbledon. The likes of Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu are expected to play too. 

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Nadal, who recently won the French Open 2022 in style, suffers from the Müller-Weiss syndrome on his left foot. He had undergone a pulse radiofrequency treatment for the same. 

“I’m happy, I haven’t limped for a week. It’s allowed me to train for five days and that’s a breakthrough for me. And it allows me to travel to London, where I haven’t played for three years and I’m excited. I hope everything goes well,” the 36-year-old said on Friday.

Nadal had defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals in Paris. The latter is set to make his maiden appearance at Hurlingham. On the other hand, three-time Slam winner Andy Murray and reigning US Open winner Emma Raducannu, will want to prepare for the Wimbledon at the English event. 

Nadal, who last featured in the Wimbledon in 2019, is aiming for a Calendar Slam for the first time in his career. He has already registered wins in Australia and France. The next stop is UK before he moves to the US Open. 

“My intention is to travel to London on Monday, play two matches, follow my normal schedule to prepare Wimbledon. Today it’s all I can say. I’m positive, happy with the feelings,” he said in a presser on Friday.