Packed clay-court schedule has its toll on Nadal

Injured Rafa loses to Ferrero; lashes out at De Villiers

FROM THE ITALIAN OPEN IN ROME – After complaining about the cramped up clay-court season this year for several weeks now, Rafael Nadal has now shown that he indeed can not run forever, going down to Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5, 6-1 in his first appearance of the week. The Spaniard was heavily troubled by a foot injury he sustained during a heavy recent schedule. Rafa won back-to-back titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona these past two weeks.

“I feel special right now,” said Ferrero, after handing Nadal only his second loss in the last three years on clay. “It's true that I didn't have, you know, this special feelings since long time ago.”

Ferrero said he didn’t feel that the fact Nadal was playing injured took anything away from his win. “I think, you know, he play as good as he can with the injury and everything. You know, at the end I play a little bit better than him. I don't know if it was big reason to don't play at his best level, the injury.”

Nadal said his foot problems arose after winning the Barcelona crown in a three-set battle over countryman David Ferrer on Sunday. “When I wake up for 6:00 [on Monday morning] for come [to Rome], I put the foot on the floor and I can’t put the foot on the floor.”

He continued saying he came close to not playing against Ferrero at all. “Today in the morning when I wake up I say it’s impossible play. I was in the doctor’s, like yesterday and before yesterday, and they put special protection. They put some cream, anesthetic cream, something like this, for didn’t feel the same pain.”

The three-time defending Roland Garros champion stated he was never able to put his foot flat on the ground against Ferrero today, more balancing on the side of it to avoid the pain. “I always went like this because I scared, no? I can’t put my legs on the floor with my power. I can’t put the ball long, so every time I play very short because I don’t have power in the legs. So especially if you are playing Masters Series and you are not 100%, it’s impossible win the matches, no?”

In hindsight, it can be said that playing Barcelona in between the Masters Series events of Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Hamburg next week was not a wise thing to do for Nadal. But then again, the event in Spain is as close as it gets to a home tournament for Nadal, who lives in Mallorca but spends a lot of time in the city. Also, Nadal knows he earns his bread and butter on dirt, and he wouldn’t be ranked No. 2 if it weren’t for the clay circuit he completely dominates.

“So, you know, the calendar is impossible,” Nadal said yet again. “Last week in Barcelona everybody is talking about how you feel about the calendar and everything. I said, 'For me going to be impossible four weeks in a row playing well, no?' They told me, ‘Yes, but you have already two playing very well’. I said, ‘In a few days you going to see why it’s impossible, and disappointing they going to see. Finally they see it’s impossible, no?”

NADAL CAN’T UNDERSTAND DE VILLIERS

Nadal was asked if he had taken the matter up with ATP CEO Etienne de Villiers, but was stone cold in his reply. “I don’t have nothing to speak with this man, no? Not more. … Lose more time trying to fight for nothing, it’s very stupid. Last year I have lose a lot of time trying to understand why he doing these things, and he’s impossible to understand.”

Nadal said he hopes the injury will subside before Hamburg next week, as he’s still fully intending to travel to Germany. “Because two Masters Series without play in the best conditions on clay going to kill me, no?”

His early exit in Rome costs Rafa almost 500 points, and he has 350 more to defend in Hamburg next week, where he lost in last year’s final to Roger Federer. If he fails to show up there, Novak Djokovic will breath down his neck very strongly for the No. 2 position. Djokovic was 1,200 points behind Nadal in this week’s rankings, and has a quarterfinal showing to defend in both Rome and Hamburg.