Tennis Update: Spaniard Rafael Nadal delays trip to Melbourne
Ranked no. 1 in the world, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who has been fighting flu, has decided to stay in Doha for few more days before he decides to depart for Melbourne to play the 2011 Australian Open.
"I stay here because I have to get healthy before I travel. Going by plane sometimes makes you worse. And at the same time I don't have anything to do right now in Australia," stated Rafa.
The professional battled it out against defending champion Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in the semifinals of the 2011 Qatar Open recently. Davydenko instantly exercised his authority on the game, taking the first set 6-3. Furthermore, the Russian went on to
take the second set 6-2 to make a place for himself in the championship final. Nadal stated that he knew during the first set itself that he was not in a condition to win the match.
The Spaniard added, "I thought about retiring for a moment," he said. "I felt real bad, but, you know, is difficult for me to go off court. It's not nice for the crowd, not nice for the tournament, not nice for the opponent, too."
Meanwhile, Davydenko will be opposed by Swiss man Roger Federer in the men's singles final of the 2011 Qatar Open. Earlier, Roger got through with the third seeded Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinal match of his draw.
Federer improved his win loss record to 22-3 and he is yet to drop a set in the tournament. Tsonga lost 3-6 in the first set and was beaten 7-6 (2) in the deciding second set to be eliminated from the championship.
Furthermore, Federer stated, "I have played good tennis this week so I am sure it will be a good match. It was a crucial service break for me. That set me up nicely for the remainder of the match. The second set was more competitive
as I was serving really well. It became a high quality match in the second set and it was right that it went to a tie-break because Tsonga played well too."
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