Rafael Nadal has wrapped up a place in the Wimbledon last 16 but admits he fears the implications of the tournament’s rain-decimated schedule on his hopes of lifting a third title.
The world No.1 beat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-7 (4/7) 6-1 6-1 6-1 under the Centre Court roof on Saturday while torrential rain forced All England Club officials to cancel 45 matches until Monday.
Two of those were third-round men’s singles between Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka and Denis Istomin, and Feliciano Lopez’s clash with the only remaining American John Isner.
With Wimbledon reluctant to play on Sunday – matches have been held only three times on the middle Sunday with the most recent occasion being 2004 – it means Monday is likely to host third-round matches on what is traditionally fourth-round day.
“In one way it is very positive to have my work already done,” said Nadal, after making the second week for the first time since 2011.
“In another point, I don’t know how Wimbledon is going to react after a day like today, if they are not able to play more matches because tomorrow is Sunday and the tradition is here nobody plays on Sunday.
“If my opponents are not playing tomorrow, they are playing on Monday, I will be playing on Tuesday, and the winner will be playing again on Wednesday. That’s not good. That’s not a positive thing.
“In one way it is positive that I am already done. But for sure my opponents are in a worse position.”
Nadal is due to face either Nick Kyrgios of Australia or the Czech Republic’s Jiri Vesely for a place in the quarter-finals.
Nadal, the champion in 2008 and 2010, said he was slowly coming round to the idea of playing under the Centre Court roof even if it was also closed when he suffered a bruising second round defeat to Lukas Rosol in 2012.
“When you play with some wind, when you play outdoors, the court is a little bit more dry. When you play indoors, humid days, the court is a little bit more slippery. That makes the match a little bit different,” explained the 28-year-old.
“In general the roof is great because there is lot of light coming in, so your feeling is not that you are closed, completely closed, like an indoor tournament. I think that’s better for us.”
