Rafael Nadal, coming off a 6-3, 6-4 loss at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the finals of China Open, admitted that he's still experiencing pain on his left knee as he blasted the ATP for staging more hard court tournaments despite the health repercussions of playing on this surface.
Nadal's comeback is without a doubt the most phenomenal story of the season as the Mallorcan netter returned from a seven-month injury layoff to win 10 tournaments this season - including the French Open and U.S. Open Championships.
Last weekend, Nadal successfully returned to the top of the ATP rankings after reaching the final of the China Open, making it his first reign as the world's No.1 since 2011.
Still, Nadal didn't mince words in scrutinizing ATP for implementing a long season and including more hard court tournaments in the tour. Nadal has been pleading to the ATP to start holding more tournaments on clay court, which he believed will help extend the careers of today's stars and future tennis players.
"I say because it's something that I think is going to be fair for the next generations if they are able to play (on) an easier surface for the body, to try to have a longer career, to try to be more healthy when they finish (their) careers," Nadal told the Associated Press on ESPN Tennis. "Something that probably I will not (be lucky enough to have)."
However, it appears to be Nadal doesn't have any plans to bring the issue to the ATP board.
"I am really out of politics, and I don't want to be involved in (the) politics of ... tennis anymore. I know even if you have strong ideas and even if you believe the changes are possible, I know there is always a wall there that is impossible to go over," Nadal added.
The Spaniard admitted that he's still experiencing pain in his troublesome left knee, but it has been tolerable to the extent that it hasn't limited his movements as of late.
"Since I came back, the feeling on the knee is not 100 percent perfect. But the feeling on the knee is very good for me because even if I have pain a lot of days, the pain is not limiting my movements," Nadal added
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
