20 Apr 2010

Nadal blames ATP schedule for pulling out of Barcelona Open

8:18 am on 20 April 2010

The Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has again hit out at the crammed ATP calendar and blamed the "poor" scheduling for his decision not to defend his Barcelona Open title this week.

The Spaniard, who has in the past called the calendar "crazy" and "overloaded", was disappointed not to play on home soil but after enduring a year of injuries, he felt he had no choice but to take a break to preserve his body for the French Open.

Nadal was in breathtaking form as he dismissed Davis Cup team mate Fernando Verdasco 6-love, 6-1 in the final of the Monte Carlo Open yesterday, but the effort looks to have taken a heavy toll on his troublesome knees.

In the past, the world number three has often pushed his body to the limit by playing on the energy sapping clay for three or four weeks in a row. But after being forced to miss the entire grasscourt season in 2009 to nurse his stricken knees, Nadal has opted to take a more cautious approach.

In the run up to Roland Garros, which begins on May 23rd, he is expected to play in Masters events in Rome and Madrid.

Nadal would have been going for his sixth consecutive Barcelona Open title.