Nadal Withdrawal
Actually this is just a developing story, and it isn't quite official yet. [edit: now it is.] I got my heads-up on this from a thread on MensTennisForums.com. Apparently ESPN Latin America sniffed the news out before my cable channel's commentators did, because I'm watching Andre Agassi vs. Nikolay Davydenko and they haven't mentioned any withdrawals from the Tennis Masters Cup--and Nadal's match versus Gaston Gaudio is coming up.However, Susan from VamosRafael.com is blogging from Shanghai (from right inside the stadium), and she reports that Rafael Nadal is withdrawing from the event.
This is a surprising turn of events, because on the Mariano Puerta forum on MTF it was being reported that Puerta had left Shanghai. Will Nadal's potential opponents get a walkover, or is the alternate still in Shanghai and available to take Nadal's place?
UPDATE: A viewer of ESPN USA says that Patrick McEnroe announced that Nadal is pulling out due to an injury to his left foot. Puerta will replace him in the draw.
UPDATE #2: Reuters now has the story.
World number two Rafael Nadal pulled out of the season-ending Masters Cup with an injury to his left foot on Monday.
Spain's French Open champion became the latest injury casualty to hit the lucrative Shanghai event after Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin all pulled out with injuries.
Nadal's place will be taken by Argentina's Mariano Puerta, this year's French Open runner-up.
The 19-year-old Nadal, who was due to play Argentine Gaston Gaudio later on Monday, had sat out the final two weeks of the season because of knee tendinitis.
UPDATE #3: Why is the Yahoo! Sports scoreboard reporting that Gaudio beat Nadal (walkover), while also reporting that Gaudio is going to play Puerta?
UPDATE #4: After Andre Agassi's defeat at the hands of Nikolay Davydenko, now I'm seeing threads that say he's withdrawing (MTF and Tennis Warehouse). I only have one thing to say: how come the Latin American press get the news earlier than I do? I live closer to Shanghai, too!
UPDATE #5: Hopefully this is the last update I'm going to have to make on the high-profile withdrawals from the Masters Cup. Andre Agassi is the latest to signify his pullout.
From BBC News:Agassi will reportedly be replaced in the draw by second alternate Fernando Gonzalez of Chile.
Andre Agassi pulled out of the Masters Cup with an ankle injury after a 6-4 6-2 loss to Russian Nikolay Davydenko in Shanghai.
The American third seed became the latest withdrawl following Spain's Rafael Nadal an hour earlier.
"No chance for me to play again," said Agassi. "It's dangerous and risky for my future and an unfortunate setback."
posted by Noelle De Guzman @ 7:48 PM
1 Comments:
I'd say it is, in terms of the star power lost. But I've been watching all the matches, and the players have really pulled out all the stops and are playing their hearts out. I love it.
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