Rafael Nadal will not feature in the Dubai Duty Free Championship in February – Tennis News
Spanish number one, Rafael Nadal, is still fighting multiple injuries after a hectic tennis season in 2011. He kick-off the new season warm-up tournament in Abu Dhabi and is scheduled to play against his compatriot world
number five, David Ferrer, in the semi-final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship tournament.
Seeing such a tight schedule in 2011, world number two, Nadal has decided that he will not be playing any tennis after the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open, for almost a month. He will be taking
the whole February off that will disable him from playing the Dubai Duty Free Championship at Abu Dhabi, making the Mubadala World Tennis Championship to be his last appearance in this part of the world for the entire next season.
He was not even sure of his arrival for the Abu Dhabi tournament either because of his sore shoulder. He didn’t enjoy proper rest in the holidays because the time span was too small for him to relax his muscles and then start
practicing for the new season. The added responsibility of playing the Davis Cup final at his home prolonged his season that shortened his holidays.
Talking about his arrival in Abu Dhabi and his body condition, he said “I didn't know if I was able to come here until three days ago. I didn't know if I had enough practice. I practised as much as I can, but not as much
as I like. Hopefully, the shoulder will be good. It's always exciting for me to be in Abu Dhabi. I hope I made the right decision to be here."
Adding about his plan of February, he stated, “I have to stop after Australia and have a chance to practice. I need the February month to practice well to prepare for the rest of the season.”
The Spaniard has fixed his eyes on the Olympic gold medal and believes that the Masters 1000-level event in Indian Wells will be a perfect stop to get his arsenal ready for the mega event. Nadal will play the semi-final on
Friday 30th December and soon after the closing ceremony of tournament, he will leave for Doha where he commences his official start of the new season. The first Grand Slam tournament of the year will be lined up for him so it is obviously
a very frenzied start to the season. Taking off in February is probably a wise decision from the former world number one.
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