Rafael Nadal will not play his scheduled doubles match at the Brazil Open on Wednesday because of "knee overuse," organisers said. But they said the Spanish star intends to play his opening singles match Thursday against Brazilian Joao Souza.
World number five Nadal had been scheduled to team up with Argentina's David Nalbandian in a second-round encounter against Argentine Horacio Zeballos and Oliver Marach of Austria. Former world number one Nadal only returned to the tour in Chile last week, where he lost in the final, after a seven-month injury absence.
"Nadal thought it was preferable to stay in his hotel and prepare for his singles match tomorrow," a Brazil Open spokesman told AFP. "He discussed the issue with Nalbandian and the two agreed not to play the doubles. It was a joint decision." Nalbandian told reporters the conditions were "very difficult." "The court is not in the best condition and the ball is very difficult to control," he added. "It's too bad I cannot play the doubles after the match Rafa and I had (yesterday)... But he has to take care of himself and prepare for a long and hard year."
Nalbandian and Nadal won a hard-fought match 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 against Spaniards Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on the court here late Tuesday. Nadal complained at a press conference Tuesday about having to play so many hard court events. "That is a theme among the players and doctors," he said. While conceding that reducing the number of events on hard surface was not possible at this time, Nadal added: "I think that the ATP has to work to think of how to lengthen tennis players' careers."
"Can you imagine football players playing on cement?" he asked. "I am a bit tired after a hard week in Chile. But it was positive. The process of recovery follows its course... As always I come here to do the best possible and hope that things turn out all right."