Former world No 1 Rafael Nadal has once again pulled out of the PTT Thailand Open, disappointing scores of Thai fans and dealing a major blow to the organisers of the event. This time he blamed an abdominal injury.
The Spaniard, who withdrew from the event in 2007, was scheduled to arrive here tomorrow for a vacation in Krabi before playing his first tournament game on Thursday.
The top seed cited an acute rupture of his right abdominal muscle as the reason for calling off the trip. According to a statement released by the organisers, the world No 2 was advised by a doctor to have "medical treatment consisting of physiotherapy, rest and medication for a period of two to three weeks".
Fans were already sceptical of Nadal's commitment to the Open after his last-minute withdrawal two years ago. His credibility took a beating, and despite his promise to play the event this year, fans were ready to believe only if they saw the Spaniard step off the plane at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
So there wasn't much surprise provoked by his withdrawal - especially as he didn't get off the bench to help his compatriots in the Davis Cup semi-final against Israel over the weekend.
Nadal sustained the injury during the US Open earlier this month, where he lost his semi-final in straight sets to Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine went on to capture his first Grand Slam title with an upset victory over top-ranked Roger Federer in the final.
Nadal has struggled badly with injuries this season - the sore knees that kept him out for all of June and July meant he couldn't defend his title at Wimbledon while the abdominal muscle issue flared up during his US Open third-round victory over Nicolas Almagro.
The Thailand Open organisers are now desperate to rope in a big-name player as a replacement. The rumour is that Serbian Novak Djokovic could get a wildcard. A few places are still open for VIP players who might be thinking of last-minute applications. Last year's final saw Djokovic, whose name is so far not in the 2009 entry-list, lose to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Tsonga remains one of the few star attractions at this year's tournament. His countryman Gilles Simon is another big name to play but his retirement during a match at the US Open has raised concerns over his fitness.
- Nadal to promote Thailand to the world : September 4, 2009.