Rafael Nadal recently withdrew from two key competitions heading into the 2014 US Open after hurting his right wrist in practice, which also made him doubtful for the upcoming Grand Slam tournament.
Nadal, who suffered a fourth-round exit in Wimbledon 2014, said that he would be on the sidelines for the next two weeks, but added that he will be ready in time for the US Open.
However, Toni Nadal, the coach and uncle of the Spanish tennis superstar, said in an interview with Tennis World USA that nothing is set in stone in terms of their participation in this year's US Open that is scheduled to start on Aug. 25.
Toni Nadal said that Rafa will undergo an MRI a week before the tournament - a test that would determine whether or not the 28-year-old will be able to defend his title this year.
"Theoretically we can come, but we'll see. I guess a week before and we'll know if the injury is on track. Let's wait until the end. The date is no limit. When we are good we will compete, and if we are not well, we will not compete," Toni Nadal said.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion hurt his right wrist when he played a backhand during a practice session. The injury forced him to skip his title defense in the US Open tune-up tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.
Toni Nadal said that Rafa, who is looking to win his second Grand Slam title this year after winning the 2014 French Open, was so disappointed that the injury came just days before he steps up his preparation for the US Open.
"When you are injured you are always a little 'morally wrong, especially at this time. There times when an injury does not affect much the season but this is not the case because we have to skip two Masters 1000 Rafa won that last year. Now we just need to figure out how to arrive at the U.S. Open," Toni Nadal said.
But while the second-ranked tennis player in the world failed to participate in warm-up events, Toni Nadal expressed confidence that Rafa will perform well if he makes it into the US Open.
"There are training with the forehand, the volley, service and backhand slice. If the board was in favor of New York in the early rounds, Rafa would have the opportunity to find the best solution because it is not even a beginner who needs to play a lot of games. He knows what he must do," Toni Nadal said.
