[bigboydan]

i guess we will see federer line to win the aussie open shoot up another 20 cents or so now.

Nadal out of Australian Open

January 10, 2006

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) -- Rafael Nadal will not play in the Australian Open because of a foot injury that has sidelined him for several months.

Nadal, ranked No. 2 and the reigning French Open champion, said he plans to return at an ATP tournament on Feb. 13 in Marseille, France.


"The Australian Open is too important to go there and play without the necessary condition to compete well," Nadal said in a statement released by the ATP.

"The reality is that I have not played since the final of the ATP Masters Series event in Madrid and I have only been practicing at a high level for the last 10 days, and that is not enough to go into a professional tournament."

The 19-year-old Spaniard said on his Web site that he decided he was not fit for the season's first Grand Slam event after practicing Monday in Barcelona with Brazilian star Gustavo Kuerten.

"I am especially sorry for those tennis fans who have been supportive throughout my absence and wanted to see me in Australia," Nadal said in the ATP statement. "We have spoken to the tournament director and he has sent me a warm message understanding the situation."

The Australian Open begins Monday in Melbourne.

Nadal injured his left foot at the Madrid Masters in October and hasn't played on the tour since. He withdrew from the Paris Masters, the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, and tournaments in Chennai, India, and Sydney, Australia.

"I have seen his foot today and it looks well," said Nadal's doctor, Angel Ruiz-Cotorro. "He had an injury on his foot that has healed, although the recovery process is very slow."