• ATP Tour

Nadal blasts scheduling after Barcelona withdrawal

ESPN staff
April 19, 2010
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Australian Open at the quarter-final stage © Getty Images
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Rafael Nadal bemoaned the "poorly structured" clay court season after announcing that he will not compete at this week's Barcelona Open.

Nadal won his sixth straight Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday by defeating Fernando Verdasco, but he will rest instead of attempting a sixth successive title in Barcelona.

The Spaniard has been dogged by knee troubles since withdrawing from the Australian Open at the quarter-final stage in January, and he feels it would be unwise to push his body in back-to-back tournaments.

"I feel bad not playing in Barcelona, more than any another tournament," Nadal said. "But after winning in Monte Carlo my body is asking me to rest.

"I feel really bad about this, it is my club and my event. I've mentioned several times that the clay season calendar is poorly structured."

Sixth seed Tomas Berdych has also withdrawn from the Barcelona Open with an ankle injury.

In other news, David Nalbandian will miss the next two ATP Tour events due to a hamstring injury. The Argentinean will not play in the Barcelona Open this week or the Rome Masters next week.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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