BRISBANE, Australia — Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Brisbane International on Wednesday to focus on being ready for the Australian Open, which will be his first competitive tournament since a knee injury forced him to retire from the U.S. Open semifinals in September. “My hope is to win the Australian Open,” he said. The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, starts Jan. 14 at Melbourne Park. Nadal had to retire in the fifth set of his quarterfinal match against Marin Cilic at last year’s Australian Open and he said earlier this week that he is changing his approach this season. And I’m going to work as hard as I can, and I’m going to play and practice with the highest tactical possible to be 100 per cent ready for Melbourne.

Source: National Post January 02, 2019 10:19 UTC