Wimbledon Profile: Rafa Nadal

Best Odds: 24/5 (Boylesports)
Seed: 5
Previous Best at SW19: Winner (2008, 2010)
Grand Slam Titles: 12

Wimbledon Record:

The 2008 and 2010 champion will make his first appearance at the All-England Club since losing to Lukas Rosol in the second round last year. It was one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history and signalled a miserable second half to 2012 for the Spaniard who spent the remainder of the season sidelined by injury. However, he has made the final at Wimbledon 5 times in his last 6 visits.

Form:

Arrives, as is customary, with a French Open title in the bag - a record 8th success at Roland Garros. Statistically, this is Rafa’s best ever start to a season as he boasts a phenomenal 43-2 win/loss record. The 27-year-old’s performances have been all the more remarkable since they follow off the back of knee problems that led many pundits to question whether he would ever get back to his best.

Prospects:

It will be fascinating to see how Nadal handles the transition to grass. He remains the top dog on the red dirt but he received a rude awakening at the hands of little known Rosol this time last year. That looked like a one-off and I would suggest he will be a definite contender. Seeded fifth, the man from Mallorca could face Roger Federer in the quarter-finals in what would surely be another epic.