RafaLint: December 29th

Injury and Illness to Keep Nadal Out of Australian Open – by Christopher Clarey (nytimes.com). This is the best article I could find on the withdrawal. It has actual research in it! [/sarcasmMode]

Nadal’s publicist, Benito Pérez Barbadillo, said in a telephone interview that Nadal began to feel ill Dec. 20 in his home island of Majorca in Spain. At that stage, Pérez Barbadillo said, Nadal had been practicing with increased intensity, but his illness forced him to stop training and doctors have advised him to rest for a further seven days while undergoing tests.

“Rafa Nadal suffered last week a viral condition that caused a gastroenteritis with a high fever for four to five days,” said Ángel Ruíz-Cotorro, the Spanish physician who is head of Nadal’s medical team, in the statement.

Sounds like this was a severe virus.

“The guy wants to play, the guy wants to be back,” Pérez Barbadillo said. “This is another setback and let’s be glad that this year is over and this is our own Annus horribilis I suppose. And hopefully 2013 will be better.”

With hope…with hope.

Articles:

• Journey Out of Oz – by Steve Tignor (tennis.com).
• jokovic surprised by Nadal’s Australian Open withdrawal – by Reem Abulleil (sport360.com)
• Rafael Nadal out of Aussie Open – AP via espn with speculative video commentary by Greg Garber.
• Nadal tampoco jugará el Abierto de Australia – by Jaume Pujol-Galceran (elperiodico.com). Here’s the mangle.
• Inside the mind of Rafael Nadal the neurotic – by Will Swanton (theaustralian.com.au). The last three paragraphs make it linking material.
• Tennis great Rafael Nadal has a new iPhone app – by Jon Swart (usatoday.com)
• Expect to see the real Nadal by Monte-Carlo – by Simon Cambers (thetennisspace.com)

Videos/Audio:

• iB3 report on the withdrawals.
• Missing Rafa? Watch his 2009 Australian Open victory over Federer via the AO Vault.

Social media related to Rafa:

• Babolat offered their support.

Doubts about #Nadal‘s knees linger but he’s correct. As physical as #tennis is, folly to make comeback at best of 5 event like Oz Open

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) December 28, 2012

And Now Rafa is out of the Aussie, too.. A shame. no event is the same without him. guess we can now hope for Indian Wells return?

— Chris Fowler (@cbfowler) December 28, 2012

By the way today in Spain is fools day. Unfortunately Rafa’s news is real and not a fools day joke.

— B1PR (@b1pr) December 28, 2012

David Ferrer: I think all the players on tour miss Rafael. He’s very important for us #MWTC #AbuDhabi #Nadal #tennis

— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 29, 2012

Random:

• Take your 2012 tennis quiz – by Kamakshi Tandon (espn.com)
• Federer, Nadal discuss Christmas via iphone – via tenngrand.com

29 Dec 2012 | by miri | One Comment