Nadal out of Australian Open with stomach virus

Just seen it on BBC Sport.

Shame, but something doesn't seem right with Nadal's absence.

i agree, ferrer as no4 seed again

Ferrer will be world number 4 after Melbourne.

Wonder if/when Nadal is actually coming back.......

Mexican Open, late Feb.

Parallels to Serena's 'injury' here. Think I've said that all along.

Coming into a Grand Slam with this little match practice was always lunacy.

2 weeks was just about minimum, but now he couldn't play Abu Dhabi and Doha due to virus, so it really was pointless. He would just end up getting beaten early in AO and it would knock his confidence.

Must admit I'm a bit surprised. He's been back in training for quite a while now and I didn't think a stomach virus would be enough to derail him with still over 2 weeks left until the AO starts. A 60% fit Rafa would still have a good shot at getting to the second week and by then his fitness levels would be on the rise and who knows... I wonder if there are still problems with the knee.

But he knows best I suppose. Shame for the tournament. I was looking forward to seeing him back.

Well am I surprised.. No . I said at least 2 mths ago he would not play... and guess what Im glad .. to return after such an absence for the reasons he was absent and play a two week slam on hard court was a imo no brainer .. iM SORRY to say I told you so but I did. As a Rafa fan I would put a ???? behind the stomach virus.. he will be ready at the start of the clay court season.

With the Fuentes case coming up in January will only get the rumour mill into overdrive.

However, on the subject at hand I always felt the AO was a tad ambitious. Where this leaves Nadal now only one can wonder will he ever be near the force he was. We are potentially looking at nine months before he returns to competitive action. I know this is a separate issue with this virus.

legendkillarV2 wrote:With the Fuentes case coming up in January will only get the rumour mill into overdrive.

However, on the subject at hand I always felt the AO was a tad ambitious. Where this leaves Nadal now only one can wonder will he ever be near the force he was. We are potentially looking at nine months before he returns to competitive action. I know this is a separate issue with this virus.

He's obviously pregnant.

It's unfortunate to hear this. I wonder where he picked the virus up from; maybe he has the norovirus.

Apparently during Christmas dinner, at the end he was meant to make a speech, but then went to his room and threw up instead.

Well whether that be the case or no.. I still say he would not have played

Well that sucks... that takes a lot out of the sport as well... it's just not quite the same without a potential rafa/fed or rafa/djoko match to look forward to...

falzy21 wrote:Well that sucks... that takes a lot out of the sport as well... it's just not quite the same without a potential rafa/fed or rafa/djoko match to look forward to...

Yeah I know

I'm sure a lot of Nadal's public statements about intending to play has something to do with his endorsement contracts. The legalese written into those contracts is sometimes mind bogglingly confusing. Example - it might be stated that he can only withdraw from an event with some such "legitimate" reason only "X" number of days prior to the event. That's the kind of stuff often written into the fine print of a contract. Why it's there - who knows? I've seen a contract from a once famous rock band insisting their hotel rooms be furnished with a glass bowl full of a specific number and color of M&M's candy (red, in this case). What that has to do with anything is beyond me - but it was in there for some legal reason. The same could be with contracts of athletes. Sampras mentioned as much when he left the game. He kept withdrawing from tournaments one at a time, until all of his contractual appearance obligations had been met - so he could continue to get paid his endorsements. That could be why Nadal has been keeping everyone in limbo. He doesn't want to violate whatever might be in his contracts with his sponsors.

That said, it does make sense not to jump right into competition at a Best of Five Two Week Major after this much time away. If he does come back - it will probably be on one of those clay court events in South America or Mexico.

Antonico, interesting point

Welcome to the forum btw, good to have you on-board.

Interesting to note that Nadal's injury problems started about 5 minutes after the clay season and then continued throughout all the hard court tournaments. I suspect he will be injury free for the entire clay season, he will make sure of it!

Bookies are giving Rafaa 50% chance to win the French Open at the moment.

I agree with DJ; this is starting to look increasingly dodgy.

His statement says that he missed a week of training.. but the AUS open is still two weeks away. Surely the 'virus' cannot be the reason. The knee is supposedly perfect now, so what is really keeping him out of the game?

I suspect an Agassi style cover up.



emancipator

HB Nadal has admitted he needed to take painkillers during FO

Emanci... Nadal can't go into a Grand Slam like the AO with only 1 week of match-play... after such a long time out it would be lunacy.

AO is BO5 and also HardCourt, so it makes sense he would want some decent match practice before entering there.

emancipator wrote:I suspect an Agassi style cover up.



emancipator

Problems with his wig?

emancipator wrote:I agree with DJ; this is starting to look increasingly dodgy.

His statement says that he missed a week of training.. but the AUS open is still two weeks away. Surely the 'virus' cannot be the reason. The knee is supposedly perfect now, so what is really keeping him out of the game?

I suspect an Agassi style cover up.



emancipator

Misquote em he never said the knee was perfect...he said the knee was much better.. there is a big difference.
What is keeping him out of the game ? he wont chance that knee on hc. simples.. surely anyone can see that .. he simply has not the confidence to try a hc GS for his first competitive tournament. What surface would you think he would chose to make his first appearance back. What would be the surface he would most likely regain confidence and try out the knee

Haddie-nuff wrote:

emancipator wrote:I agree with DJ; this is starting to look increasingly dodgy.

His statement says that he missed a week of training.. but the AUS open is still two weeks away. Surely the 'virus' cannot be the reason. The knee is supposedly perfect now, so what is really keeping him out of the game?

I suspect an Agassi style cover up.



emancipator

Misquote em he never said the knee was perfect...he said the knee was much better.. there is a big difference.
What is keeping him out of the game ? he wont chance that knee on hc. simples.. surely anyone can see that .. he simply has not the confidence to try a hc GS for his first competitive tournament. What surface would you think he would chose to make his first appearance back. What would be the surface he would most likely regain confidence and try out the knee

Clay?

Give the boy a big

This is a quote from Rafa´s Blog


My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn’t allow me to practice this past week and therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open, as we had initially scheduled

The AUS open is still 17 days away.

He could request to start on the 2nd day which I'm sure they'd oblige, so that's 18 days away.

His knees must be ready for play or he wouldn't have declared the intention to play all those warm up tournies. So what is really keeping him out?

OK, ok, I know I'm just speculating wildly, but it does seem to be rather strange. Serena just had surgery on her toe yet she's ready to go.

I suspect the truth may be more sinister than the minions would like.

It is a sad thought but nonetheless one which I cannot dismiss lightly.



rotapicname

JuliusHMarx wrote:

emancipator wrote:I suspect an Agassi style cover up.



emancipator

Problems with his wig?

Quote of the year!

[quote="emancipator"]The AUS open is still 17 days away.

He could request to start on the 2nd day which I'm sure they'd oblige, so that's 18 days away.

His knees must be ready for play or he wouldn't have declared the intention to play all those warm up tournies. So what is really keeping him out?

OK, ok, I know I'm just speculating wildly, but it does seem to be rather strange. Serena just had surgery on her toe yet she's ready to go.

I suspect the truth may be more sinister than the minions would like.

It is a sad thought but nonetheless one which I cannot dismiss lightly.



rotapicname[/quote



Who are the minions em... ??? I suspect as many do they would like to find something more sinister behind his withdrawal... to me its plain and simple he kept giving out that he was playing to keep all and sundry from pressurising him anymore.. but to reiterrate what I said two months ago and like a worn out record.. it was never likely that he would play though I got shouted down at the time.

He's said he'll now play in Mexico at end of Feb...2 months away.

I always thought he'd never return on HC...but he's leaving it so long now that his level compared to others will have dropped.

So he loses 1200 pts for AO12...his ranking is going to start dropping now. Surely there are going to be questions over his motivation to return to you having spent so long away from tennis now.

Yes some will be cynical vs Fuentes.

Yes Lydian.. I have been saying for a long time (not on here but privately)
Rafa´s confidence has been shot to blazes.. its not just his knees that need strengthening but his mind also. Has he now got the wherewithal to drag himself back because it will be a long haul. If he cant then
I think we can safely say that will be it. Yes the cynics are alive and well.They are loving it and Im sure Rafa knows that.
I have a bloke living in my street who, when he doesn´t know a full story,. he makes it up ..to the point where he believes it himself. Sad these people arn´t they !!?

Not a surprise. I don't believe the stated reason and only time will tell what happens next, although I expect to see him on a clay court before Easter.

It's the damn circus that bores me.

I hope emancipator is wrong......

I personally think the 'sinister' rumours are nonsense. I genuinely think the virus story is nonsense, but not because of anything dodgy or potentially rule breaking as is being hinted at.

I think his knee isn't ready, or he's had a setback with it. He's been training for ages now so if it was fine a week off because of a virus wouldn't keep him out. If its true that his next tournament is the end of February then clearly his knee isn't ready.

If that's the case I don't blame him for saying its because of a virus. Far better PR than "my knee is still knackered". But the subtle hints at Rafa wrongdoing (we all know what is being suggested) are frankly nonsense. Nothing at all to back it up.

2 things about this withdrawal now....

1) Well done to Daveed; he will be in the Top 4 for the first time in a while soon and be the leading player for his country for a bit longer.

2) This might be premature but.... Novak for the Grand Slam?

2) This might be premature but.... Novak for the Grand Slam?

I don't think so personally. He didn't face Rafa at Wimbledon or New York and didn't take the title in either. One or two yes. Three I could just about see. But not all four. I think Roger and Andy will be more buoyed by Rafa's absence than Novak.

Funny how many times I hear coming back for AO is a big no-no. More than 100 players play the hardcourt slams every year without problems but when fragile Rafa puts his feet on a harcourt it turns into lava.

I just dunno. Is it to be taken at face value, or is he covering a knee setback, or is it more sinister?

I really don't know.

All I hope is that he is never found to be on PEDs. It would completely do my head in if it turned out Federer was cheated of multiple Grand Slams.

Bogbrush, if you think about it, with the way Nadal puts pressure on his knees it is inevitable sooner or later he would be out for long periods... this has been predicted by many for years.

Put it this way:
Given the style Nadal has being playing from 17 (so around 9 years), what was the probability he would never have a prolonged knee injury with much uncertainty about his return?

Yeah, I think probably so.

Above all, it's a bloody shame - the tournament will definitely be lacking something without him. I know that no player is bigger than the game, but a fully charged Rafa brings a lot to the table, particularly at the big tournaments. I hope he recovers swiftly, if the knees are still the issue. I think it's more likely to be a combination of factors - perhaps lingering psychological doubt (in his body) combined with contractual obligations to cause the relatively late withdrawal?

On the other hand, I'm with haddie - glad he's not playing if it were to cause him further damage.

Do you think the extended slug fests with Novak have contributed to this? I bet even the fittest on tour have problems going toe-to-toe with Novak and when you do it consistently tournament after tournament it has to take it's toll eventually. Add to the fact that there were already knee problems then it's not surprising. He might need to go for his shots more often v Novak in the future rather than trying to out-grind him.

Great

Now Murray will draw Federer whom he matches up well against and we have another insipid final.. best thing would be Berdych draws and beats Murray and set up a Federer showdown after that USO nuclear fallout.

Anyway i've drawn a cat to lighten the mood,

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Josiah Maiestas

I think you will have to draw a few more cats. The mood is very, very dark...

One thing to keep in mind: Nadal's knee isn't "injured" in the traditional sense. It's not like Del Potro's wrist; or Sharapova's shoulder, where there was actual damage that needed to be repaired surgically for each of them. Nadal had tendinitis - which is a condition, not an injury. It's inflammation. That's why he takes heavy doses of anti-inflammatories, especially during the clay season since he plays everything (and usually wins everything) during that part of the calendar. In 2004, Venus Williams was also diagnosed with the same thing: she had this same condition in both of her wrists. Rather than have surgery, she wisely just let time do the repair. She was off the tour for 6 months. Yet she came back to win 3 more Wimbledon's after that, and get to another Wimbledon Final as well. Prolonged rest is really the only option you have with that kind of problem. He probably should play a clay event either in Mexico or South America. It will test his legs, build his stamina, hone his game and more importantly build his confidence again. And get him to ditch at least 1 of the clay events in the spring from his schedule. he won't be long getting back to where he was. And since he took off after Wimbledon, anything beyond Wimbledon's second round to the end of the year means he'll just add points to his total while everyone else will have to defend.

This isn't the Sampras type of slow withdrawal from tennis. Nadal is giving updates on his status about his return regularly. No one could ever get a word out of Sampras at all. We subsequently found out that shortly after wining the US Open in 2002 that Sampras told Patrick McEnroe he decided on the plane ride back to LA from the Open that he was almost 100% sure he was done. Nadal likely wouldn't be this talkative to the press, promising to return if he knew he was done.

Josiah, can we have more cats?

As expected Nadal pulls out of AO, it makes more sense as he would have less practice and confidence taking on top guns and another set back would hurt his confidence real bad.

But now the what have to be seen his how well he would respond in clay season, if he doesn't get a head start its gonna dent his confidence real bad and I won't be surprised him calling the rest of the year again for rest.

Only good thing to have happend out of this injury is Ferrrer being ranked at 4.

Chydremion wrote:Funny how many times I hear coming back for AO is a big no-no. More than 100 players play the hardcourt slams every year without problems but when fragile Rafa puts his feet on a harcourt it turns into lava.

Maybe thats why he has won two hc GS... lava or not.
& Multiple Masters...yeah he surely is a one surface wonder. !!
Coming back after 7mths and knees still unfit yes AO is a no go as a first tournament back not hard to understand really .... honest !!

Very sad to see people with dark suspicions about Rafa. Frankly, it seems clear to me that Rafa is being sensible and waiting until he feels absolutely right about his knee. The virus may just be an invention but I doubt it and as he says he can take this further time off to rest up the knee. I mean really those with dark suspicions need to ask themselves serious questions. Why would he not play the Australian Open? If any form of drugs were the reason and these same doubters have been hinting at this for years how come we have never had even one remotely positive test result in all that time? Please do us all a favour and character assasinate somewhere else. Hope to see Rafa back very soon and firing on al cylinders.