Nadal focusing on improvement on grass at Wimbledon

MADRID, June 19 (Reuters) French Open champion Rafael Nadal is focusing on improvement rather than success at Wimbledon next week, after recovering from an injury that forced him out of the Stella Artois event last Friday.

The Spaniard had to retire with a pain in his left shoulder midway through a quarter-final clash with Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who went on to win the tournament.

''I pulled out on Friday as a precaution after I started to feel some pain, but now I have overcome the problem,'' Nadal was reported as saying in sports daily AS today.

''All I am thinking about now is playing at Wimbledon again.

I am very excited and have a week left to prepare myself well, and after that we'll see what happens.'' However, Nadal, who is unbeaten on his preferred surface of clay in a record 60 consecutive matches, does not believe he is ready yet to go on and win the tournament.

''I need to take it one game at a time. My only objective is to improve my play on a surface I find difficult, and I don't expect to go far,'' Nadal added.

''In the short term I am focusing on having a good tournament, working hard to prepare myself to be able to win there in the future. I don't think I will leave as champion this year.'' Wimbledon gets underway on Monday June 26.

REUTERS PM VC1600