Tennis: Grass is always greener

The practice courts at Wimbledon are a hive of activity as the world's best tennis players go through the annual ritual of rediscovering the feel of grass beneath their feet.

The All England Club's "predominantly white" dress rules do not apply here and players are kitted out in anything from garish green and yellow tops to blue T-shirts and black tracksuits. On Court Five, however, one man is immaculate in all-white, from his socks to his reversed baseball cap.

There is an intensity to his training match against Britain's Jamie Baker - a running forehand dumped into the net is greeted the same way as if he were playing in the final on Centre Court. Yet this is the only practice session where a handful of spectators have gathered. They are here because the man in white is Rafael Nadal.

The 24-year-old Spaniard is back at Wimbledon for the first time since his 2008 victory over Roger Federer in arguably the greatest match ever.

The fact the most flamboyant and charismatic player in tennis has dressed so soberly says much about the man and the respect he has for what he calls "the nicest club in the world".

"I love everything about it," Nadal said. "The grass gives something special to the tournament. When you walk around it's different to other places. My goal was always to play well here on grass. I did that in 2006, playing in the final for the first time. That was a big surprise for me. To do it another time the next year made me think: 'I can really play well here.' When I won in 2008, it was one of the most emotional moments of my career, if not the most emotional.

"For me it was a dream to win here - more than a dream. Spanish players in the past saw Wimbledon as something that was impossible to win, a different sport. But I always had my dream of doing well on this surface. I love it. I loved this place - just being here and seeing everything, from the first time I came here to play juniors."

Another big part of Wimbledon's appeal for many players is that they stay in local rented accommodation. Nadal is sharing a house with his uncle and coach, Toni, and his physical trainer, Rafael Maymo.

"It's good," Nadal said. "You stop for practice, you walk home, I walk back to practice. It's different from normal weeks when you are in a hotel. It feels more like you are at home. I walk to the courts every day."

Nadal still lives with his family in Manacor. "For me the perfect summer holiday is being at home with my family and seeing all my friends. When I finish this tournament I'll go there."

Home is also where Nadal keeps his trophies.

"On one floor there is my room, my sister's room and my parents' room, and there is another room with a sofa and a big TV. My Wimbledon trophy is in there. I also have my five Roland Garros trophies in there. The Wimbledon trophy is in the middle. I also have five Romes, my six Monte Carlos and my five Barcelonas. I have my Wimbledon trophy on top of my TV."

Does he clean the trophies? "My Wimbledon trophy is in perfect condition. The Roland Garros trophies, after a year, two years, they go dark and you have to polish them. The Wimbledon one, it's perfect."

Missing Wimbledon last year with a knee problem, at the same time as his parents were going through marital difficulties, was the lowest point of a troubled 2009.

The only match Nadal watched in full on television during Wimbledon was the final. "It wasn't an easy moment for me, with the knees, with a little bit the problems at home too," he said.

Further injuries contributed to a slump in form that saw Nadal go 11 months without winning a tournament and drop to No 4 in the world rankings. He qualified for the World Tour Finals in London in November, only to lose all three of his matches in straight sets. "I had accepted before the tournament that I didn't have any chance because I wasn't ready."

From that point Nadal decided to "start from zero" with his practice for the new season. He began training again within a day of leading Spain to victory in the Davis Cup final at the start of December and "after two weeks I was feeling great".

By the time he reached the final of his first tournament of the year in Doha - he lost to Nikolay Davydenko despite winning a first set in which he played "probably one of the best sets of my career" - the Spaniard believed he was back on track, even if disappointment followed at the Australian Open, where another knee injury forced his retirement against Andy Murray when two sets and 3-0 down in their quarter-final.

"I don't know if I would have won against Andy in that match because he was playing amazingly," Nadal said. "I was happy because I was playing one of the best players in the world. My feeling was that he was playing very well, but I had some good chances. I was a break up in both sets."

Nadal believes Murray's subsequent defeat to Federer may have contributed to the Scot's indifferent performances in the following months, which have been in stark contrast to Nadal's all-conquering form through the recent clay-court season.

"Sometimes it's not easy to accept losing the final of a Grand Slam," he said. "Even I thought Andy was going to win in Australia. But Roger played very well. Mentally that could have been difficult, but Andy has amazing talent and he's a great competitor. He's an amazing player, so he can win here."

Nadal rejected any suggestion he and Federer should be regarded as joint defending champions at Wimbledon given the Spaniard beat him in his last match here.

"Roger is the defending champion. I didn't play last year. Roger's always the defending champion here. He's won six times already. That's really unbelievable. And seven finals in a row. Amazing."

Nadal has never viewed the whole of the 2008 final but he has watched the highlights. His performance gives him encouragement he can scale those heights again.

"It was amazing," he said. "There were a lot of very good points, a lot of very good rallies, amazing shots from both of us. When you see that you think: 'I can do it another time. I can play at this level on grass.' But you need to arrive at that moment with big confidence. I have the confidence, but I need to adapt better to this surface. I need to play and win matches."

- INDEPENDENT