29 Dec 2012

Nadal withdraws from Australian Open

11:11 am on 29 December 2012

French Open tennis champion Rafa Nadal has been forced to withdraw from next month's Australian Open because of a stomach virus that has disrupted his recovery from a knee injury.

Nadal says his knee is much better but the virus didn't allow him to practice this past week.

The Spaniard has also pulled out of next week's Qatar Open in Doha.

The organisers of January's Auckland Open had been talking with Nadal's agent about the possibility of the former world number one playing here, if he needed more match time before the Melbourne grand slam.