Rafael Nadal is famously called the ‘King of Clay.’ It is the title that the Spaniard has earned after being the most successful player at the French Open. Over his career, Nadal has gone on to win an unprecedented 14 titles in the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. Earlier this year, he defeated Casper Ruud of Norway in the summit clash to lift the title in Paris.

While Nadal’s love for clay courts is no secret, very few know about his fondness for Wimbledon. Although he suffered heart-breaking losses at the tournament early on in his career, the Spaniard has won the tournament twice. He opened up about why he loves SW19 by pointing out its similarities to his hometown.

Rafael Nadal on feeling ‘home’ at Wimbledon

In his book, Rafa: My Story, Nadal said, “The one soothing similarity between Wimbledon and Manacor is that house we all stay in and the pleasure of that short stroll to the courts, which reminds me of when I started playing tennis, at the age of four.”

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Further, he went on to add, “We lived in an apartment opposite the town’s tennis club, and I’d cross the road and train with my uncle Toni, the resident coach.”

Nadal’s performance at Wimbledon

The Spanish legend’s maiden title at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament came after two heartbreaking defeats in the finals of the tournament. At the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon Championships, Nadal lost to Roger Federer in the summit clash. However, he took sweet revenge for his defeats a year later. In the final in 2008, Nadal prevailed over Federer in a five-set thriller to lift his maiden Wimbledon title.

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Further, his second title at Wimbledon came in 2010, when he overcame Tomas Berdych in straight sets in the summit clash. This year, Nadal managed to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon. However, an unfortunate abdominal injury forced him to withdraw from the tournament before his match against Nick Kyrgios.