Rafael Nadal’s long-awaited comeback after a seven-month hiatus nursing a knee injury has been put off due to illness. Nadal was expected to return to tennis for exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on December 27.
Rafael Nadal’s comeback bugged
Rafael Nadal proclaimed on Tuesday that doctors have instructed him to pull out of what was to have been his first comeback tournament due to stomach infection. The Spaniard posted on his Facebook page that he has been advised to rest while he recovers from a fever caused by a stomach infection.
“My rehab has gone well, my knee feels good and I was looking forward to competing. Unfortunately doctors have informed me that my body needs to rest in order to fight this stomach virus,” Rafa said.
“I am very disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year in Abu Dhabi,” said the world number 4.
“Everything had been prepared.”
Nadal quoted that he had been very eager to return to the Middle East competition but doctors had told him his body needs rest to fight arrest stomach virus
Nadal emphasized that him not participating was not prompted by his knee injury.
Nadal humbly admitted his withdrawal would be a disappointment to fans and the tournament, which is due to feature World No. 1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia and third ranked Andy Murray of Britain and three other top 10 players – David Ferrer, Janko Tipsarevic and Tomas Berdych.
“I would like to say sorry to all my fans in the United Arab Emirates and around the world, but I hope to play and win in Abu Dhabi again next year,” said an apologetic Nadal .
The former World No. 1 has been out of action with tendonitis in his left knee since July 2012. Eleven times Grand Slam Champion last played in Wimbledon where he was shocked in the second round by then 100th ranked Lukas Rosol in a 5 set thriller.
The injury prevented Nadal from defending his Olympic singles gold at the Olympics in London, where he was supposed to be Spain’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony. He also had to pull out of the U.S. Open and Spain’s Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic, which Spain was humbled.
Nadal is now expected to make a comeback at the Qatar Open, which starts on 31 December.
The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, is due to begin in Melbourne on 14 January.
Tags: Abu Dhabi, Andy Murray, Australian Open, Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic, Qatar Open, Rafael Nadal, Tennis, UAE, United Arab Emirates
