Nadal pulls out of Queens’ courts
Published 05 June, 2009, 19:18
World Number One Rafael Nadal will have to watch a new champion take his place in the second consecutive tournament this year.
The Spaniard, who recently crashed out of the 4th round at the French Open, won't be able to defend his title on the grass courts of the Queens’ Club, due to injury.
Nadal, who turned 23 on Wednesday, saw his run of four consecutive Roland Garros titles come to an end at the hands of the much lesser known Swede Robin Soderling, who reached the final on Friday.
The Spaniard says his nagging knee problem meant he wasn't always at 100 percent during his recent matches, which also saw him lose to Roger Federer in the Madrid Open final.
The big question now is whether Rafa will recover in time for yet another title defense – at the grass courts of Wimbledon from June 22.
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