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September 8, 2009

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Home » Sports » Tennis

Nadal refuses to discuss stomach injury

RAFAEL Nadal was treated for a stomach muscle problem during his third-round victory at the US Open on Sunday in New York.

The No. 3-seeded Nadal beat No. 32 Nicolas Almagro 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in an all-Spaniard matchup.

Nadal already was comfortably ahead when both he and Almagro received treatment from trainers after the third game of the third set. Nadal had a patch applied to his stomach, while Almagro had his back worked on.

After resuming the third set at 2-1 down, Nadal grimaced on several occasions as he poked the afflicted area between points.

Nadal wouldn't discuss his health afterward.

"I don't want to talk about injuries," he said. "Sorry. No, no. I am a little bit tired to talk about injuries."

Nadal is a six-time major champion who is trying to complete a career grand slam by winning the US Open.

This is his first grand slam tournament since the French Open, where he was upset in the fourth round, ending a 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros. He decided to skip Wimbledon, blaming tendinitis in his knees.

Nadal returned to the tour in August after about a three-month absence, and he appeared to pick up an abdominal injury then.

Next up is a match against No. 13 Gael Monfils.

His reluctance to divulge the extent of his problem does not bode well for the Spaniard in an event where he is still required to play at least four best-of-five-set matches if he is to win the tournament.





 

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