Rafael Nadal Might Not Return to the Tour Until Late August

Written by: Staff on 23rd July 2012

RAFAEL NADAL WILL BE THE SPANISH OLYMPIC TEAM FLAG BEARER

Rafael Nadal Might Not Return to the Tour Until Late August

epa03306439 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal delivers a speech after he received the Spanish national flag which he will bear during the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, at Spanish Olympic Committee headquarters in Madrid, Spain, 14 July 2012. Nadal will be the Spanish olympic team flag bearer in the London 2012 Games beginning on 27 July 2012. EPA/BALLESTEROS |

Rafael Nadal has dropped a huge hint that it could be almost another month until his return to tennis after the Olympic Spanish flag-bearer was forced to drop out of the upcoming London Games s due to his chronic knee problems.

“The tournaments never stop so I will try to be ready for the American season but you never know you have to work hard every day and see, go day by day and see how it improves,” the 2008 Beijing gold medalist told Reuters TV. “I will compete when my knee says I am ready to compete. I don’t want to go on court with bad feeling because then it is terrible.”

Nadal had to pull out of the Games after his knee tendinitis failed to respond well to treatment in the weeks following his second-round Wimbledon loss to Czech Lukas Rosol.

The 26-year-old Spaniard said that deciding to pull the plug was a huge decision. “I was scared to take the decision, bit this is something that happens. You never know if it happens only one time in life bringing the flag of my country to the Olympics with all the sports family of Spain there.

“All I can say is that I did as much as I could to be there and to be ready but it wasn’t the right time. My emotion and my dream to compete in the Olympics was more than ever.”

“When I had to take the decision was the toughest moment. But it was something that I was thinking was going to happen for the last six, seven days because the knee was not improving.”

Nadal is officially entered in the post-Olympic Toronto Masters from August 6. But his uncle and coach Toni Nadal has already told Spanish media that the next week in Cincinnati looks more likely to mark his nephew’s return.

Topics: 10sballs.com, London Games 2012, Lukas Rosol, Olympic tennis news, Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis news, Sports, Tennis News