World No. 1 Rafael Nadal may not participate in Wimbledon and the grass-court season preceding the tournament in order to protect his body from further ailments. This may prove to be the best possible tactic to win more titles on other surfaces.
Nadal, the 31-year-old from Majorca made a stunning comeback from a wrist injury in 2017 to secure his 15th and 16th Grand Slams at the French and the US Open respectively.
But on his favorite red dirt of Roland Garros, the Spaniard did not face arch-rival Roger Federer as the Swiss legend opted to skip the entirety of the clay court season to conserve his energy for his more favored surface, grass.
A persistent knee injury kept him out of the ATP Finals in London in November and the same has now forced him to withdraw from the Brisbane International, 2018’s opening tournament in Queensland. And after his recent setback, Nadal would do well to plan his schedule meticulously.
“I find Nadal fascinating because he continues to say he doubts his ability at times and yet that does not stop him amazing us all,” tennis presenter Marcus Buckland told Sky Sports.
“I just think with that incredible work ethic and if his knees hold up then he will continue to be a force within the game.
“He will be very careful with his scheduling, Federer set the tone this year missing the entirety of the clay court season, and I think Nadal might miss the whole of the grass court campaign.
“He will pick and choose very carefully to make sure he can be as fit as possible.”
The 16-time Grand Slam champion was expected to make his return at this week’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship but had to withdraw from the event in Abu Dhabi as well as from the tournament in Brisbane.
Nadal is racing against time to get fit for the first Major of the year, the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne in January 15, but the left-hander could also be thinking about his long term goals for 2018.
“What he wants to win is the ATP Finals because it is on a surface which is the least favorite to him,” Buckland added.
“I am sure he would love to do himself justice at the end of the year at The O2.”
