Nadal Pulls Out of Queen’s But Hopes for Wimbledon

Monday, June 8, 2009 -- Top ranked player Rafael Nadal has chosen to back out of the Queen’s Club tournament owning t o knee trouble. The Spaniard, however, hopes to be well enough to play at Wimbledon where he is the defending champion.

The Queen’s Club Tournament is often considered as a pre-Wimbledon warm up event. It is played on grass. Nadal was the champion of Queen’s in 2008.

Tournament organizers announced that the player is struggling with ongoing knee problems and has been advised to rest by doctors.”

“I have been having some problems in the past months with my knee, that’s no secret, that did not allow me to compete always at 100 percent," Nadal said.

"I need to work with my team to recover well, work on my physical condition to be at my top form and get ready for the grass to play at Wimbledon. I hope I can be ready to compete by then” he continued.

Wimbledon championships are set to begin June 22.

Prior to this pull-out Nadal suffered a loss to long time rival Roger Federer at the Madrid Open. He was also stopped by Swedish player Robin Soderling from advancing further at Roland Garros. His loss to Soderling was the first time the 4-year French Open champion left the tournament without the singles title.

Aside from Nadal, Kei Nishikori also withdrew from Queen’s because of an elbow injury.