TENNIS
Bad knees force Nadal to bow out of Wimbledon
Published: June 20, 2009, 12:30 am
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WIMBLEDON, England — Rafael Nadal figured he couldn’t win Wimbledon this year because of his achy knees, so he decided it didn’t make sense to try.
Nadal withdrew from the grass-court Grand Slam tournament Friday, three days before it begins, becoming only the second men’s champion in 35 years to decline to defend his Wimbledon title.
“When I start a tournament like Wimbledon, it is to try to win,” the No. 1-ranked Nadal said, “and my feeling right now is I’m not ready to play to win.”
A subdued Nadal, wearing a purple T-shirt and white pants, spoke at a news conference Friday evening at the All England Club, in the same room where he took questions after beating Roger Federer in the epic 2008 final that ended after 9 p. m. with light fading.
He announced his withdrawal about 2z hours after losing to 18th-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka in an exhibition match on grass at Hurlingham Club in south London.
“Today was the last test. I didn’t feel terrible but not close to my best,” said Nadal.
In other pre-Wimbledon action, defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn upset top-ranked Dinara Safina, 7-5, 7-5, Friday in the semifinals of the Ordina Open in Den Bosch, The Netherlands.
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