SPORTS> Tennis
Nadal talks himself out of injury talk
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-07 11:03

NEW YORK: More than 23,000 concerned pair of eyes on Arthur Ashe Stadium zoomed in on Rafael Nadal's stomach on Sunday as he lay flat on his back with his canary yellow shirt pulled up to his chest.

Nadal talks himself out of injury talk
Rafael Nadal of Spain receives medical treatment during his match against compatriot Nicolas Almagro at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York September 6, 2009. [Agencies] 

With a white towel covering his face, there was no way to guess the pain or the torment Nadal was going through as it seemed his injury jinx had struck again during his US Open third-round match against childhood friend Nicolas Almagro.

While the Spaniard shielded himself from peering eyes, a tournament trainer went about his business by quickly spraying and taping Nadal's stomach during the three-minute medical time out the third seed is allowed to take.

Job done, Nadal got back on the feet but over the next few minutes it became clear that this latest setback was one the six-times grand slam champion could have done without.

After resuming the third set at 2-1 down, Nadal grimaced on several occasions as he poked the afflicted area between points but hung on to beat fellow Spaniard Almagro 7-5 6-4 6-4.

Match over, there was only one topic tennis followers wanted to discuss.

Related readings:
Nadal talks himself out of injury talk Rested Nadal a real threat at US Open
Nadal talks himself out of injury talk Nadal back on the prowl, Safin escapes the 'zoo'
Nadal talks himself out of injury talk Nadal nearing peak fitness, says expert
Nadal talks himself out of injury talk Nadal may hit peak fitness at US Open
Nadal talks himself out of injury talkHappy Nadal says he has exceeded expectations
Well, all tennis followers except Nadal.

"I know everybody want to talk about the injury. I really don't want to talk about that. That's the thing," said the world number three, who was sidelined during June and July with tendinitis in both knees.

Not satisfied with the Spaniard's answer, he was prodded again for an explanation but politely replied: "I said I don't want to talk about injuries. Sorry. I am a little bit tired to talk about injuries.

"I am here to try my best every day. I won the match in three sets, so happy for that. I'm going to try my best next round. That's all."

His reluctance to divulge the extent of his problem, which television commentators described as "a right abdominal muscle injury," does not bode well for the Spaniard in an event where he is still required to play at least four best-of-five-set matches if he is to win the one major that has so far eluded him.

The way Nadal plays puts a huge amount of pressure on his body -- the leaping in the air to administer the exaggerated topspin, the chasing and the sliding -- and if all the components of his game do not click together, he could be heading for another heartache.

For now, Nadal refused to entertain the idea that another grand slam run could be aborted due to his injury woes.

"I am playing here. I'm always gonna play here. No one wants to miss another grand slam," said Nadal, who missed out on defending his Wimbledon crown in June.