This year at Wimbledon everything will be very different. Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal won’t be competing this year, which is different from what the public has been seeing for the past several years. While Serena has since retired, Nadal has pulled out of the tournament on account of injury. Their absence is something that everyone will feel.

Yes, as the grass-court Grand Slam competition draws nearer. A shop employee with a store in Wimbledon Village recalls his interactions with Williams and Nadal. And he has some nice things to say about both the legends. Let’s see what he has said.

What it’s like to serve Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams at your shop? 

This summer, the American tennis legend and the 22-time Grand Slam champion will definitely miss their favourite fruit and vegetables from Wimbledon. For the first time since 1999, neither Nadal nor Serena will be playing on the lawns of the All-England Club. So, that means they will not even visit Bayley & Sage to pick up their favorite food iterms during Wimbledon. Dimitrios, who works at the shop, recently gushed about the Spaniard in an interview with SunSport.

He said, “These three weeks are very busy and we have lots of famous people come in. Nadal would buy lots of fruit and vegetables, juices. I did not speak to him, I’m too shy and didn’t want to bother him.”

The 37-year-old tennis star in particular was a regular at the fancy deli in the village. It is just up the road from the site where Nadal won two Grand Slam titles of his career.

READ MORE – ‘A Tournament Nobody Wants to Miss’ – Rafael Nadal Desires to Play Wimbledon but Remains Ambiguous About Foot Condition

Along with that, he also recalled having the 23-time Grand Slam champion in his store. “Serena posed for photos – no one asked Nadal, but he was friendly and really good, he signed the wall,” he said.

Last year, before the 41-year-old American tennis legend retired from the tennis circuit, she spent a heartwarming moment at the Wimbledon championships with the Spaniard.

Nadal and Williams’ heartwarming moment from the 2022 Wimbledon

Last year, before the competition, the 23-time Grand Slam champion left her practice court, and the Spaniard proceeded to his practice at the same time. Both ran into each other and what followed was a nice little conversation. Their short time together was a big hit with fans on social media.

Are you going to miss both the legends in the upcoming tournament? Do let us know in the comments section below.

WATCH THIS STORY – Serena Williams pays tribute to Roger Federer