Nadal withdraws from Brisbane to focus on Australian Open

BRISBANE, Australia (AP):

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Brisbane International on Wednesday to focus on being ready for the Australian Open, which will be his first competitive tournament since a knee injury forced him to retire from the US Open semi-finals in September.

The second-ranked Nadal, who cited a strained muscle in his left thigh for his withdrawal, still thinks he can add to his 17 major titles by the end of the month.

"My hope is to win the Australian Open," he said. "And being honest, I feel myself playing well. I feel myself playing at a good level of tennis. And I feel myself with very high motivation to compete and to play."

MEDICAL ADVICE

Nadal had an MRI and said that medical experts in Australia and Spain told him that playing competitively this week would heighten his risk of a more serious injury.

"I tried to play, and I still wanted to play, but the two doctors from here and the doctors from my confederation in Spain tell me ... if I play here, there is a risk to don't have the chance to play Melbourne," Nadal said. "Everybody is telling me that it's not a good idea to increase the possibility to make the strain a bigger problem.

"I feel that I can give a good level of tennis, but I can't do my 100 per cent. So if I don't play here, I probably secure that I'm going to be 100 per cent ready for Melbourne."

Taro Daniel, a lucky loser from qualifying, will take Nadal's place in the Brisbane International draw and will play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the second round.

The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, starts on January 14 at Melbourne Park. Nadal had to retire in the fifth set of his quarter-final match against Marin Cilic at last year's Australian Open, and he said earlier this week that he is changing his approach this season.