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Nadal sparks injury concerns ahead of Wimbledon

ESPN staff
June 11, 2010
Rafael Nadal admits conditions at Queen's haven't been the best © Getty Images
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Rafael Nadal's fitness will come under the spotlight throughout the remainder of the week at Queen's after he admitted he felt pain in his leg during his clash with Denis Istomin.

Nadal beat Istomin 7-6(4) 4-6 6-4 on Thursday, but there was cause for concern in the second set when the world No. 1 required treatment from the trainer. He went on to close out the match in comfortable fashion, but the Spaniard admits he is not 100 percent.

In the same week that Roger Federer signed a deal at the Gerry Weber Open that indirectly means he will never play at Queen's, Nadal pointed the finger at the English weather conditions as a reason for his fitness fears. Starved of the roof that the Halle tournament offers, Nadal has had to endure stoppages like every other player in England this week, and he admits he is monitoring the state of his leg closely.

"I called the physio to check how the leg was," explained Nadal. "I felt something after he handled it, so I have to be sure that there's nothing dangerous, because if something happens this week, it's difficult to be ready [for Wimbledon] in one week.

"I didn't feel anything. But the pain was there, and it starts slow and I started to feel a little bit more.

"It was a difficult to play, the stop for the rain, lot of cold, wind. That's not the best conditions for the body because it is a big change for me, and big change to play for two months on clay and now on grass."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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