Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal, who resumed training after being sidelines with tendinitis in both his knees for nearly two months, says the rest of the season would be ”difficult” for him.
”Even if I return at 100%, you have to be realistic, the rest of the season is going to be difficult because after stopping for one month, almost two, you lose the rhythm of the competition,” the 23-year-old told Spanish media in Mallorca.
”I have still one advantage over [Roger] Federer in that I am only 23 years old,” added Nadal, who lost his French Open and Wimbledon titles, as well as his world number one spot, in a summer of injury misery.
Switzerland’s Federer, 27, won both the French Open and Wimbledon and regained the number one ranking held by Nadal during the Spaniard’s absence.
Nadal has not played since being upset by Robin Soderling in the fourth round at the French Open in May. It was his first defeat at Roland Garros where he had been the four-time champion.
The injury forced him to pull out of Wimbledon two days before it started.
Nadal intends to return to return to competitive play at the Montreal Masters, where he is the defending champion, which gets underway on August 8. — AFP
