Rafael Nadal pulls out from semis of the Sony Ericsson Open due to a knee injury – Tennis News
World number two, Rafael Nadal, withdrew from the Sony Ericsson Open 2012, a Masters 1000 event held in Miami, after enduring a left knee injury.
Nadal was scheduled to duel against the fourth seed, Andy Murray, at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park. However, he had to cancel the match after suffering a knee injury. As a result, the British number one earned a walkover win and progressed into the final
showdown where he will square off against the world number one, Novak Djokovic.
The jubilant Nadal apologised everyone after withdrawing from the tournament, “I waited until today in the morning. I did a lot of treatment yesterday,” said Nadal. “But I am not ready to compete today. I am very sorry for the fans. I'm very sorry for the
tournament. I'm very sorry for everybody who was ready to watch the match on television… I cannot go on court and lie to everybody.”
The left-handed Spaniard is enjoying a successful ongoing season as he cruised into the final four at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in the first week of January (lost to Gael Monfils).
Nadal then recreated his magic at the Australian Open and after outclassing the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, he went made a title-round berth. Regardless of losing the third straight Grand Slam final to Djokovic, the Spaniard maintained his intensity at
the Indian Wells ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour Masters 1000 event. He skipped few tournaments to gear up for the Indian Wells ATP event, subsequently cruising into the final four (bowed out to Federer).
The 25-year-old’s knee was acting up before entering the BNP Paribas Open. However, his performance wasn’t affected until he entered Key Biscayne. He eased past Radek Stepanek and Kei Nishikori in straight sets prior to his quarter-final clash against the
sixth seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He managed to overwhelm resilience posed by the French number one but was forced to retire from the tournament after that.
“This year, I played the final and two semi-finals in very difficult tournaments, so that's the positive thing that stays on my mind,” the King of Clay was quoted afterwards.
The high flying Spaniard is looking forward to rule the upcoming clay season. He is eyeing to not only defend his title at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell but also to clinch his maiden year-to-date crystalware. Nadal will also be featuring at Mutua Madrilena
Madrid Open, a Masters 1000 event held on the clay courts in May.
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