Rafael Nadal is at a crossroads of sorts as he gets closer to 30 years old.
Does Rafael Nadal's dominance at the French Open doom his chances at Wimbledon?
The world's No. 1 player on Tuesday suffered yet another early exit at Wimbledon, losing in the fourth round to 19-year-old Aussie wildcard Nick Kyrgios in four sets.
Nadal has not reached a quarterfinal at Wimbledon since 2011, having been bounced twice in the fourth round as his best efforts during that span. From 2006-11, Nadal advanced to the finals five times, winning twice. In 2009, he was unable to play at Wimbledon because of tendinitis in his knees.
In explaining his loss to Kyrgios on Tuesday, Nadal said something telling about his recent struggles on the All England Lawn and Tennis Club.
Rafael Nadal forced to rest his ailing back after French Open
"Young players are very dangerous as always the young players have something special," Nadal said before the match, according to ESPN. "They are able to play with no pressure. They are fresh."
The winner of nine French Open championships, Nadal almost never enters Wimbledon fresh. And now that he's 28 and has a troublesome back to go along with his sometimes-aching knees, Nadal is entering Wimbledon more and more beat up.
The question for the Spaniard is how he can get to Wimbledon with a faster recovery from the grueling clay season that culminates with the French Open.
Does he try to play a different game on grass that would require less pounding on his body? Can he do anything different before Roland Garros to help him prepare for deep runs in both tournaments?
"Grass always was a little bit harder for me after the injury," Nadal said in his post-match news conference.
He did say that the Kyrgios was able to play fearlessly. Nadal also said he never could get a beat on the Aussie's serve.
"I was not able to read his serve during the whole match," Nadal lamented. "At the end on grass, the resume is that. I was not able to read his serve. I was not able to put enough returns inside."
One solution would be to spend more time playing on grass to get Nadal familiar with reading opponents' serves. That solution almost certainly would have to include skipping the clay season, an option that isn't worth it for Nadal.
It makes no sense for the most dominant player on clay in tennis history to skip playing on his best surface to try to get through the grass season. Nadal seems to understand the limitations he faces.
"I felt in a way I am even not angry today because I feel that I lost the match losing only one time my serve during the whole match," he said, according to ESPN. "I created my opportunities."
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