Roger Federer said he was shocked by the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal from the 2012 London Olympics due to knee problems.
"It was a big surprise to see Rafa pull out of the Olympics as the defending champion from four years ago," Federer said. "It
is a big blow to the tournament but he must have his reasons. I don't
know if it was his knee or his preparation wasn't good enough. I thought it was more his preparation and that would mean he is
probably close to coming back on tour. He is only missing maybe a week
or two here."
Federer would not admit that he was relieved that Nadal was not competing. "It's exciting for the rest of the field regardless if Rafa is here or not," he said.
He then expressed concern about some of the remaining competitors in the field, "Novak
has a good chance after such a wonderful run over the last year and
Andy Murray has played so well at Wimbledon recently."
Looking into the near future for Nadal reveals the unforgiving US hard court season. Nadal has made it known in the past that hard court is his least favorite surface. And given that it was his knee(s) that kept him out of London, a long hard court season could be disastrous for his future if he his not fully healed.
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