Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal opens up the London Olympics playing field – Tennis Special
Sheer dismay for the Spanish tennis fans who heard the news of their beloved tennis icon, Rafael Nadal, pulling out of upcoming London Olympics due to injury. The reigning world number three has finally made it public that his
itching knee is in no condition to let him defend his gold medal at the grandest of the sports events. Now that is something very heartbreaking for some people and at the same time, it is good news for other players as well. Yes, you got it right. Nadal’s
withdrawal will open up the tournament to the inferior ranked contenders, giving them a better chance to reach the final stages of the tournament.
The former world number one bombarded the news of his pulling out from the greatly anticipated London Olympics due to his serious knee injury. Nadal told the media: “I am not in [a] condition to compete in the London Olympics and
therefore will not travel as planned with the Spanish delegation to take part in the games. I have to think about my companions, I cannot be selfish and I have to think of what's best for Spanish sport… and give fellow sportsmen with better preparation the
chance to compete. I tried to hurry my preparations and training to the very last minute, but it was not to be. It is one of the saddest days of my career. You can imagine how difficult it was to take this decision.”
However, the 26-year-old’s knee injury was not a surprise; three years ago, he suffered from a major setback at Roland Garros by Robin Soderling. He faced a similar scenario at the Grand Slam held in Wimbledon 2012 by the hands
of the then ranked world number 100, Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic. After the terrible defeat in the second round at Wimbledon, Nadal’s knee injury got serious and hindered in his preparations for London Olympics. Resultantly he had to withdraw from the gold
medal defence at London.
Ever since the Mallorca native’s withdrawal, there is an increased room of uncertainty for the gold medal, with the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray sensing much greater chances of having a shot at the
gold.
Federer reclaimed his top spot in the world ranking with and outstanding score of 11,075 points after securing the 2012 Wimbledon Championship. Currently he is considered the most deserving candidate for the Olympic medal. As Jimmy
Connors summarises Roger Federer, in the most beautiful words: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer!”
To his competition, the Serbian follows the chart with 11,000 points. He might not be in the best of his form, but his presence at the courts is always feared by all.
The British fans expect Andy Murray to turn up the game scoring and become the first Brit to bring home the medal. However, the 25-year-old failed to secure the final trophy at the Grand Slams and might be unable to handle the
intense pressure at the greatest sports event in London.
Nadal’s withdrawal also makes room for several other young talented players like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro and Janko Tipsarevic to attain better ratings after the Olympics.
The debate in reference to the vacuum created by Spaniard is yet an open bet in the media and making this evet a must watch for all!
Federer is back and determined to claim his lost glory. Nevertheless, Djokovic is a very dominating young athlete and has previously defeated him in consecutive sets at the 2008 Grand Slam- Australian Open. In my opinion Federer
is an exceptional all round player and he has full potential to out rightly defeat the Serb this season.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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