Rafael Nadal To Decide Whether Or Not To Play In The Remaining Tournaments In The ATP Calendar After Competing In Basel
Despite suffering from appendicitis, Rafael Nadal is expected to play in the 2014 Swiss Indoors in Basel. It is one of the last three tournaments in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) calendar. The Spaniard has previously revealed that he has every intention to play in the remaining tournaments. However, a new report claims that Nadal will have to gauge his performance in Basel before he ultimately decides whether or not he will participate in the rest of the tournaments of the current season, including the year-end Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
According to The Guardian, a Spanish radio station has speculated that Nadal will skip the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals to undergo surgery for his appendicitis. Nadal's agent Benito Pérez-Barbadillo has downplayed the report and said that there is still no definitive answer on the topic of Nadal's upcoming tournaments.
"Rafa Nadal will play Basel this upcoming week and, depending on how he feels and the advice from his doctors, will decide after the tournament on his schedule," Pérez-Barbadillo said.
In the last two years, Nadal was forced to withdraw in Basel. He pulled out of the tournament because of fatigue and knee injury in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The past winners of the tournament include two-time Swiss Indoors champion Juan Martin Del Potro, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal has reportedly been better since he was diagnosed with appendicitis ahead of the 2014 Shanghai Masters, Reuters UK reported. The Spaniard was able to play his second round match against Feliciano Lopez albeit suffering from his illness. He lost in the match, 6-3 7-6, and then he flew to Spain to get medical assistance.
Another spokesperson has said that Nadal's recovery was "satisfactory" and he has not shown any symptoms of appendicitis. He had taken antibiotics for five days. It has been said that Nadal will have his appendix remove before the 2015 tennis season.
Nadal is 46-10 this season. He has won four titles including the Qatar Open, Rio Open, Madird Open, and French Open. He currently ranks third in the latest ATP world rankings released on October 13.