KEY POINTS:
When you're ranked No 2 in the world behind one of the greatest players of all time there is clearly no need to panic, but Rafael Nadal can be forgiven for going into the Australian Open next week with one or two negative thoughts in his mind.
The French Open champion, acknowledged as the best clay court player on the planet, has not won a tournament since his triumph at Roland Garros last June and his preparations for the year's first grand slam were disrupted when he retired hurt from his first-round match in the Sydney International on Tuesday.
The Spaniard, who was trailing Australia's Chris Guccione 6-5 in the first set, complained of a pain in his right thigh.
Nadal insists his withdrawal was purely a precautionary measure, but there is no doubt he has been struggling to regain the heights he scaled midway through last year, when he followed up his superb clay court season by reaching the final at Wimbledon.
He duly lost to Roger Federer, having won four previous finals against the world No 1 in 2006.
Nadal is confident he can perform well in Melbourne but does not expect to beat Federer.
"I don't think I can challenge Roger at the moment," he says. "Roger is the best by far. He is at another level. Just look at the numbers, Roger's are so impressive it's just unbelievable."
- INDEPENDENT
