Rafa Nadal pulls out of Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai
November 4, 2008
Rafael Nadal has announced on his website that he will not be competing in the Masters Cup in Shanghai. The news would come as a big blow for tennis fans around the world who were looking forward to his showdown with the top players in tennis.
The world’s no. 1 ranked tennis player said “this is one of the most difficult decisions in my career due to the importance of the event”, when announcing the decision not to play in Shanghai.
Nadal blames the long and difficult nature of the ATP tour as his reason for not playing. This statement from Rafa pretty much sums it up. “I have mentioned on various occasions that the tennis calendar has been extremely hard with practically all weeks playing and where it forces players to compete week in week out, making it impossible for a top level player to be 100% on each event”.
Many players feel that the ATP forces them to put demands on their body which go beyond the limits of human endurance. For the top players that happen to make the Masters Cup and also participate in the Davis Cup final they are playing right until the end of November.
The new season kicks off on January 5, 2009. That really is not much of a break for the top players. I don’t think any major sports have such a short off season.
Nadal’s participation in the Davis Cup was another key reason for not playing in the Tennis Masters Cup. “I want to recover and be ready for the important Davis Cup final with my country that will be played in Mar del Plata, Argentina” he said.
This shows that he has some real committment to the Davis Cup and his country. Some have questioned this in the past.
Nadal’s withdrawal comes as good news for Frenchman Gilles Simon as he will replace the Spaniard in the elite eight man tournament. Simon has won three titles this season in Casablanca, Indianapolis and Bucharest. Simon is ranked at a career high 9th on the ATP tour.
The Tennis Masters Cup will take place in Shanghai 9-16 November.
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