SM
Watford vs. Oxford Utd: 43 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Rafael Nadal pulls out of Brisbane International before his first match

:Headline: Rafael Nadal pulls out of Brisbane International before his first match: ID:345759: from db_amp
Nadal only completed one hard-court tournament last season.

Rafael Nadal cast doubt on his fitness for the Australian Open by pulling out of the Brisbane International ahead of his first match.

The Spaniard opted not to play his second match at an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last week after tweaking his thigh and is worried about the risk of exacerbating the problem.

Speaking at a press conference, he said: "I did an MRI and it shows a small strain on my left thigh. I tried to play, I wanted to play, but recommendations from the doctors (were otherwise).

"I feel better than I did four days ago. It's a risk to damage my body for one month if I play here."

It continues a trend for Nadal, who withdrew or retired mid-match during all but one of his hard-court tournaments last season.

His final match of 2018 turned out to be the US Open semi-final against Juan Martin Del Potro, where he pulled the plug at the end of the second set because of pain in his troublesome knees.

After recovering from that, an abdominal injury sidelined him for the rest of the season and he began his pre-season preparations late after opting to have ankle surgery to clear up a persistent niggle.

This latest issue is a dispiriting blow for the world number two but he will hope sitting out this week will enable him to be fully recovered for the year's first grand slam, which starts on January 14.

Japanese lucky loser Taro Daniel takes Nadal's place and faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round.

amp_article__345759 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-01-02 10:52:45:
html db last update - 2019-01-02 10:52:45 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Rafael Nadal

Share this article now:
Read more about Rafael Nadal Tennis
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .