Nadal vows to do all he can to defend Wimbledon crown

RAFAEL Nadal insists he will do all he can to be fit in time for Wimbledon but the defending champion's attendance still hangs in the balance.

RACE AGAINST TIME: World number one Rafael Nadal  insists he will do everything he can to begin his defence of  the Wimbledon crown

The world number one pulled out of the AEGON Championships at Queen's with a knee injury and having undergone numerous tests in Barcelona last week, the Spaniard's fitness is still unclear.

The Majorcan's absence would be a huge blow to tournament officials who are desperate for Nadal to renew his rivalry with French Open champion Roger Federer at the All England Club.

"I will give 200 percent to be at 100 percent for the most important date in world tennis," said Nadal, who suffered his first ever defeat on the red clay of Roland Garros last month.

"I've been playing through the pain for a few months but when it started to restrict certain movements of my body, I realised I couldn't go on like this.

"It's going to be tough couple of weeks now with physio and recovery work but I'm not going to play if I'm not 100 per cent ready."

The Spaniard plans to travel to London on June 16 in preparation for the tournament, which begins six days later.

Meanwhile Federer has withdrawn from the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, citing exhaustion after his French Open exploits.