Sports
Nadal tells injured tennis stars to ‘accept and keep going’
Tennis superstar, Rafael Nadal. sympathises with any player suffering from injury but says it is important to accept it and keep going.
A number of the game’s top players have been sidelined by injury, with world no. 5, Novak Djokovic, recently announcing he will miss the remainder of the season due to an elbow injury.
Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic all pulled out of the ongoing Cincinnati Masters and are in danger of missing the US Open which begins later in the month.
Roger Federer was also forced to withdraw from Cincinnati after struggling with a back problem – a development that guarantees Nadal the no. 1 spot in the ATP ranking come Monday.
“I have been in that position more than all these players that are out now,” Nadal, who has a history of injury problems, said after beating Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-4 to reach the third round at Cincinnati.
The Spanish star have missed six Grand Slams in the last 13 years, and knows it is a difficult time for players.
He however advised that the one thing to do during this time is to accept the situation and keep going.
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“I know how tough it is. I’m very sorry for all of them and I wish all of them a fast and good recovery,” said Nadal.
“But at the same time I tell you Roger didn’t have a lot of these things during his career. Novak the same. Andy the same. Stan, I don’t think he had a lot of issues.
“I’m the only one of these top players that missed a lot of important tournaments in my career. More than nobody else, I know how tough it is.
“But the only thing that you can do when these kind of things happen is accept and keep going,” he added.
Nadal will assume the number one spot for the first time in three years when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday.
He will play against Albert Ramos Vinolas in the round of 16 at Cincinnati.
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