Newly-crowned French Open champion Rafael Nadal was middy back in training on Monday, but this time on the gramcourts of Halle as the preparations for Wimbledon swung into top gear. Nadal took his Mirth Roland Garmstide Fads on Sunday when he defeated Novak Djokovic 3-6, Ts, 6a, 6-4 in a bruising final that saw him bothered by leg cramps in the fourth. But, determined to add a third Wimble¬don tide to his growing colleclion of Grand Slam wins, the 28-year-old Spaniard opted to ignore his tiredness and taste the grass in¬stead. He hada brief 3o minutes session en one of the outside courts before leaving the stadium. Nadal, who pulled out of the tournament before the startlast year alter winning for the eighth time at Roland Germs, is the top seed with Roger Federer a second seed. Big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, seen as a real threat at Wimbledon, is also in the draw as is Japan’s Kei Nishilori and Richani Gasquet of France. Nadal has a bye in the first round and will play Dustin Brown in the second round after the German won through on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 win OYU Andrey Kumelsov of Rus¬sia. That revived German bops somewhat after the news that veteran Tommy Haas had pulled out with a shoulder injury which also cast doubts over his chances of playing at Wimbledon. “I couldhardly hit a hall in practice and an it would have been ridiculous to havetried to play here,” he said. “Whether there is any hope 10551 be fit in time to play at Wimbledon, area I do not know. I oil by to get better by consulting a specialist but I think the chances are very small. Another German winner in early ac¬tion on Monday was Philipp Koldschreber who defeated Andras Seppi of Italy 6-3,6-4.
