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5-time defending champ Nadal skips Barcelona
Source: Agencies |
April 20, 2010, Tuesday
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RAFAEL Nadal is skipping the Barcelona Open because he needs to rest, missing a chance to defend his title at a tournament he has won for the last five years.
Nadal said "my body is asking for rest" yesterday, a day after winning his first tournament in nearly a year in Monte Carlo.
"I am really sorry not to play in Barcelona, more than any other tournament," the Spaniard said in a statement.
Nadal said he has often complained that the clay court tennis schedule at this stage of the season "is poorly structured."
"For me, not playing in Barcelona is a consequence of that," Nadal said.
Sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and David Nalbandian of Argentina both pulled out of the event because of injury on Monday.
In first-round action, Richard Gasquet beat Russia's Igor Andreev 7-6 (5), 6-4. The Frenchman next faces fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco, who lost to Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday.
Nicolas Almagro, the 15th-seeded Spaniard, dropped only seven points on serve as he crushed countryman Santiago Ventura 6-1, 6-2.
Thomaz Bellucci, the only other seeded player in action yesterday, accounted for Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-4.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain came from behind to defeat qualifier Christophe Rochus 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, as did compatriot Oscar Hernandez in ousting Ukraine's Illya Marchenko 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4.
Juan Ignacio outclassed Filip Krajinovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash with second-seeded Robin Soderling, last year's French Open finalist.
Other winners included Jan Hajek, who faces third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands and Argentina's Eduardo Schwank.
Nadal said "my body is asking for rest" yesterday, a day after winning his first tournament in nearly a year in Monte Carlo.
"I am really sorry not to play in Barcelona, more than any other tournament," the Spaniard said in a statement.
Nadal said he has often complained that the clay court tennis schedule at this stage of the season "is poorly structured."
"For me, not playing in Barcelona is a consequence of that," Nadal said.
Sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and David Nalbandian of Argentina both pulled out of the event because of injury on Monday.
In first-round action, Richard Gasquet beat Russia's Igor Andreev 7-6 (5), 6-4. The Frenchman next faces fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco, who lost to Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday.
Nicolas Almagro, the 15th-seeded Spaniard, dropped only seven points on serve as he crushed countryman Santiago Ventura 6-1, 6-2.
Thomaz Bellucci, the only other seeded player in action yesterday, accounted for Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-4.
Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain came from behind to defeat qualifier Christophe Rochus 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, as did compatriot Oscar Hernandez in ousting Ukraine's Illya Marchenko 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-4.
Juan Ignacio outclassed Filip Krajinovic of Serbia 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash with second-seeded Robin Soderling, last year's French Open finalist.
Other winners included Jan Hajek, who faces third-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands and Argentina's Eduardo Schwank.
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