Rafael Nadal OUT of Brisbane International due to thigh injury as Spaniard is dealt blow in preparation for Australian Open
- Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Brisbane International through injury
- The world No 2 had an MRI scan which revealed the damage to his left thigh
- It comes as a blow to Nadal ahead of the Australian Open starting on January 14
Rafael Nadal has been forced to pull out of the Brisbane International due to a thigh injury.
It is the latest injury blow for the Spaniard as his preparations for the first Grand Slam of the year starting in Melbourne on January 14 take a knock.
‘I did an MRI and it shows a small staring on my left thigh,’ Nadal told reporters in Brisbane. ‘I tried to play, I wanted to play, but recommendations from the doctors (were otherwise).
Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw from the Brisbane International due to a thigh injury
‘It’s a small thing that can become a much bigger… when you compete the intensity on the muscle it can get worse,’ he adds.
‘I feel better than I did four days ago… It’s a risk to damage my body for one month if I play here.’
With the Brisbane International acting as a warm-up event, Nadal did not want to risk further damage by playing through the pain.
The world No 2 was told by doctors there was a risk to further his thigh injury and given he wants to dethrone Roger Federer at the Australian Open, the withdrawal now is essential to allow time to recover.
The world No 2 broke the news on Wednesday as he looks to recover for the Australian Open
Tournament Director, Cameron Pearson, expressed his disappointment at the news, saying: ‘We know how disappointed Rafael Nadal is that he has had to withdraw from the Brisbane International and is unable to play in front of the Brisbane fans this year.
‘Rafa gave himself every opportunity to play and we respect how hard he tried to take the court. We wish him well for the remainder of the Australian summer of tennis.’
Nadal was limited to nine tournaments last year due to a string of injuries which included ankle surgery in November.
Lucky loser Taro Daniel will replace Nadal in the second round against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.