Nadal hopes knee pain will not keep him from Wimbledon

MADRID (AP) -- Rafael Nadal will travel to London next Tuesday in hopes of defending his Wimbledon title despite having played with pain in his knees for months.

The top-ranked Spaniard said Tuesday on his Web site that he underwent two days of medical tests in Barcelona and will undergo two weeks of physical therapy in a bid to be fit for the tournament, which starts June 22.

"I am going to give my 200 percent to be ready for the most important tournament in the world," Nadal said. "I will not go out and play, especially on the Wimbledon Centre Court, if I am not 100 percent ready to play.

"I have 2 difficult weeks ahead of me, especially because I won't be doing what I like doing most, which is to play tennis. But I will be working on my recovery through physiotherapy treatments as well as recovery work on the specific muscular area."

Nadal withdrew from a grass-court warmup event at Queen's Club this week. His 31-match winning streak at the French Open ended with a fourth-round loss to eventual finalist Robin Soderling.

"I have been playing with pain on my knees for some months now and I simply can't go on like this," Nadal said. "The pain was limiting certain movements in my body, which affected me mentally as well."

Spanish Tennis Federation physician Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro says Nadal has tendinitis in both knees.

"His treatment will involve oral anti-inflammatories, physiotherapy, as well as muscular exercises for both quadriceps. Following the 48-hour treatment, Mr. Nadal will progressively get back into training," Ruiz-Cotorro said.

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