15 Feb 2013

Nadal attacks hard courts

11:30 am on 15 February 2013

The world tennis number five Raphael Nadal has complained about having to play so many hardcourt events.

Nadal, who has just returned to the game after a seven-month lay off with injury, says his complaint is consistent amoung players and doctors.

While conceding that reducing the number of events on hard surface was not possible at this time, Nadal added the Association of Tennis Proffessionals has to work on lengthening tennis players' careers.

He asks whether anyone could imagine football players playing on cement.

Nadal says his long-term objective is to be in Brazil in 2016 for which he predicts will be his last Summer Olympics.

Meanwhile, Nadal will not play his scheduled doubles match at the Brazil Open because of knee overuse.

The Spanish star still intends to play his opening singles match on against Brazilian Joao Souza.

The world number five had been scheduled to team up with Argentina's David Nalbandian in a second-round encounter against Argentine Horacio Zeballos and Austrian Oliver Marach on Wednesday.

Nalbandian and Nadal won a hard-fought match 6-3 3-6 11-9 against Spaniards Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on earlier this week.