Rafael Nadal Hints His Knees May Become A Problem

Written by: Staff on 10th May 2013

Rafael Nadal Hints His Knees May Become A Problem

epa03694857 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal returns the ball to David Ferrer of Spain during their Madrid Open tennis tournament quarter final match at the Caja Magica pavilion in Madrid, central Spain, 10 May 2013. EPA/JuanJo Martin |

As he progresses through a depleted draw in Madrid, Rafael Nadal has been quietly dropping hints that the state of his problem knees may not be ideal.

The fifth seed won’t have to worry about Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the clay field after their early exits. But the seven-time French Open winner has his own chronic fitness dramas to deal with on and off court.

While he does not like to talk about the knee which kept him out of tennis for seven months from last summer, the subject will not die down, especially in the run-up to Roland Garros. “Sometimes I feel more (pain) and sometimes I feel less. Sometimes I have pain, sometimes it’s complicated,” said the player who has tested victory in only one of three Madrid finals.

“I try to avoid talking about it as much as possible, whisper it, because the results have been so good – it’s not the moment to analyze how I am,” he said after another routine win at the Caja Magica over Mikhail Youzhny.

But Nadal dropped a warning: “If one day I have pain and if I cannot continue, well, we’ll have to take some kind of decision to try and solve the problem with the knee.

“Sincerely, it’s nothing more than usual. Depending on the moments perhaps I have a little bit more pain, maybe you can tell by looking at me. It’s really nothing more.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: French Open, Mutua Madrid Master, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Rafael Nadal knee problems, Roger Federer, Spanish tennis news