Wimbledon 2012: Rafael Nadal Will Prove He Doesn't Need to Play on Clay to Win

No matter which way you slice it, Rafael Nadal is one of the three best tennis players in the world. That doesn't apply on just clay, it applies on every surface.

Whether you favor Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer or Nadal, there's no denying that the Spaniard has asserted his dominance over the rest of the Association of Tennis Professionals.

Still, for the last few years, many have argued that Nadal has reached his perch atop the tennis world by his ability to dominate the competition on clay. There's no denying that his play on the surface has certainly accelerated his career, but to say that he can only beat Djokovic and Federer on clay is irrational.

Federer has tailed off and is thrown in the conversation with the other two much less often, meaning Djokovic and Nadal are touted as the next greatest rivalry in the sport.

Djokovic has better numbers on every other surface but for grass.

Wimbledon, as I'm sure you know, is played on grass.

The two hardly get a crack at each other on the seldom-played surface, but hopefully we'll get to see them go at it at the All England Club in July.

Djoker came away with a four-set victory at the tournament in 2011, but Nadal was able to win the last two times the duo met on the surface.

Fed-Ex holds a two-to-one advantage over Nadal on grass. The last time he won was at Wimbledon in 2007 when he was much less along in the aging process that we have seen him endure.

Grass isn't Nadal's strong suit, but he's going to prove that he doesn't need to play on clay to win. One doesn't become the best player in the world by only being able to dominate his opponents on one surface.

A tennis player must exhibit the ability to play anywhere in the world, and Nadal has done that over the course of his career.

Nadal will step onto the court at the All England Club on June 25 and begin a run through the tournament that will prove that he is capable of destroying the field on a surface other than clay.