RAFA NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR AUZZIE OPEN

RAFAEL NADAL Has His Doubts About Playing Australian Open

 

Rafael Nadal has thrown grave doubts over his participation in the Australian Open after two humiliating performances that have demonstrated he is functioning well below 100% fitness with the year’s first Grand Slam tournament just 11 days away.

 

Nadal has been back in training for a couple of weeks following the removal of his appendix and stem cell surgery on his back in November. However yesterday’s 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss against world no.127 Michael Berrer at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha following last Friday’s emphatic 6-2, 6-0 loss against Andy Murray in Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala exhibition event has left the winner of 14 Grand Slam titles including the 2009 Australian Open uncertain whether it is sensible to compete at Melbourne Park.

 

“I want to play in the Australian Open, which is a tournament I like a lot but I don’t know if that will be the case,” said a disconsolate Nadal. “But I am going to work for it.

 

“If not, I will be playing at Rio and Buenos Aires. The season is long. After coming back from injury you can’t see the immediate moment, you have to look further ahead a little bit.”

 

Optimism is obviously not abundant in Nadal’s mind after losing to a 34-year-old qualifier who is playing his last season on the ATP World Tour. However he is heading for Melbourne where he will link up with his uncle and coach Toni who habitually never makes the early year trip to the Middle East.

 

“This is the third comeback of my career after injury, so we will see how it goes in a couple of months,” said the 28 year-old Majorcan who was defending champion in Doha and was beaten in last year’s Australian Open final by Stan Wawrinka. “I wanted to start well, but it was not the case.

 

“Now, in my mind I have to practice well and try to be ready for Australia, but I know it can happen that I will go there and lose. Perhaps I will win a couple of matches there, I don’t know.”

 

Berrer had taken only four games in four sets off Nadal in their previous two meetings. So he maintained the win as one of the highpoints of his career. “It’s one of the matches which will stay in my memory forever, but let’s be honest it was the first match for Rafa after injury,” he said.

 

“In the first set it felt like the other matches against him. Then it became easy to attack because it was the only chance I had. It’s also my last season and I had nothing to lose, and I’m enjoying it here – so why not?”

 

 

 

 

STORY VIA BOB LARSON TENNIS NEWS.

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp, Australian Open, Doha, Michael Berrer, Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Rafa, Tennis

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