Sun, Jul 05 2009

Nadal's withdrawal clears path for Federer's fifth Masters Cup title in Shanghai

Tue, Nov 04 2008 14:47 CET byPetar Kostadinov 122 Views

Rafael Nadal, the world number one in men's tennis, has announced in a statement posted on his website on November 3 that he would miss the Masters Cup in Shanghai. Nadal cited fatigue as the reason why he was pulling out of the tournament and the time he needed to prepare for the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for November 21-23.

Nadal said it was one of the most difficult and painful decisions he has ever made in his professional career.

"It has been a long and difficult year where I managed to obtain great results, both on a professional and on a personal level. I have mentioned in various occasions that the tennis calendar has been extremely hard with practically every single week playing," the statement read.

"This forces us players to put pressure on our bodies, making it impossible for a top level player to be 100 per cent at each event."

His replacement in the draw in Shanghai is Frenchman Gilles Simon. The draw is scheduled for November 5.

Nadal's fierce rival and world nubmer two Roger Federer will taking part in the tournament. In the Spaniard's absence, Federer is the favourite to win his fifth Masters Cup title, having triumphed in the tournament in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

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