Rafa gets green light for Montreal comeback
Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:38
The Rogers Cup media centre undoubtedly breathed a sign of relief on Tuesday when Rafael Nadal announced that he is set to resume training next week.
The Spaniard is the poster-boy of the Montreal Masters 1000 tournament this August, despite his month-long absence from the game following the diagnosis of tendinitis in both knees.
Nadal underwent medical testing on Monday that has indicated a significant improvement since he last picked up a racket nearly four weeks ago.
“The event in Montreal is important and I expect to be there, fit to play”
The evolution of his injury is positive and the player will continue with his physiotherapy and muscular work and will resume his tennis activity in a progressive way starting next Monday July 20th, estimating his return to competition on August 8th at the Montreal event, Nadals doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, said in a rather dry statement on the world No.2’s website.
Nadal is set to resume training at his home in Manacor, Majorca on Monday. I am really looking forward to practice again and to do again what I most like: to play tennis,” added the Spaniard, who claimed the world No.1 spot after winning last year’s Rogers Cup.
“The event in Montreal is important and I expect to be there fit to play. Until then I need to continue to work on my recovery and practice well.
While the announcement is good news for fans of the Spaniard, questions remain about how ready Nadal will be for the US Open, which starts just three weeks after the Montreal event.
The New York major is the one Grand Slam Nadal has not won, which is undoubtedly a motivation for his return. But the Spaniard, who claimed this year’s Australian Open, has admitted in the past just how difficult hard courts are on his – and every other player’s – body.
“If I look the locker room and you look in the trainers’ room, everybody has problems,” he said during last year’s US Open Series. “On the knees, on the foot, every player, here [pointing to his hip]. So I think it’s not the good way. It’s the hardest surface for the body, that’s for sure.”
After losing at Roland Garros for the first time in his career, Nadal lost his to-the-wire fitness battle to defend his Wimbledon crown, last picking up a racket just two days before the tournament began.
In his absence, Roger Federer won both Grand Slams and reclaimed the world No.1 ranking.
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