Rafael Nadal heads into 2013 with his career in freefall and needing to summon up the no-surrender spirit that steered him to 11 Grand Slam titles, the world number one spot and $50 million in prize money.
The 26-year-old Spaniard hasn't played since June and on Friday announced that he will skip the 2013 Australian Open because of a stomach virus.
But many in the sport believe that Nadal's lengthy battle against knee injuries, which have plagued his career and kept him off tour since his shock Wimbledon second round loss to world number 100 Lukas Rosol, remains his prime concern.
"He told me he's not 100 percent right now and wants to wait a little bit," said compatriot Nicolas Almagro, who took Nadal's place at the Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament where he had been due to make his comeback this week.
"He doesn't want to play in Melbourne, it's five sets, his knee's not really good, he's not ready for that."
Others have hinted at a growing despondency with an injury which meant he missed the Olympics - where he was defending champion and had been due to carry his country's flag at the opening ceremony - as well as the US Open and Davis Cup final.
"In August, he looked spent," El Pais newspaper quoted a source close to Nadal's entourage as saying. "He had been playing through pain, his head said enough."
World number four Nadal has spent much of his career battling tendinitis in both knees, a by-product of his all-action style.
The warning signs were there in 2008 when he missed the season-ending Masters Cup and Davis Cup final.
In 2009, as four-time French Open defending champion, his 31-match winning streak on the clay courts of Roland Garros was ended in the fourth round by Robin Soderling.
He then pulled out of Queen's and tearfully announced he wouldn't play Wimbledon where he was defending champion as he needed to cure the tendinitis which had now developed in both knees.
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