Rafael Nadal to appear at Queen's Club next year
Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will feature at London's Queen's Club Championships in 2011.
The tournament is played in the week following the French Open, and serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon in early July which, like the Queen's Club Championships, is played on grass.
"I love playing at Queen's Club because it is a traditional club," the Spaniard said of one of London's most prestigious tennis clubs. "Every time I have played there I have felt very welcome because of the British people and their support, and because of
the tournament organisers, who are so good at their job."
Nadal has enjoyed a remarkable season this year, winning the French Open, Wimbledon and, earlier this month, his first US Open title. In New York, he became the seventh player to have all the Grand Slam titles to his name.
Claimed the title in 2008
The top-seed featured in this year's tournament, but was handed an early exit by fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the quarter-finals. Nadal was also forced to withdraw from last year's tournament with a knee injury. But in 2008, the Spaniard defeated Novak
Djokovic, his opponent in this year's US Open final, to claim his first Queen's Club title.
"I tried my best in every match this year [at The Queen's Club] and was disappointed that I could not win the tournament, but I reached the quarter-finals, and it definitely helped me to feel ready for Wimbledon," he said of this year's performance. "After
the French Open, it is very important for me to feel the grass under my feet as soon as possible."
Nadal was long known as a clay specialist, but since his first Wimbledon victory two years ago, his game on hard court and grass has improved significantly.
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