Rafael Nadal has had his request for a wild-card invitation to next week’s Argentina Open accepted as the Spaniard rejigs his schedule after his shock Australian Open exit.
The world No. 5 lost in the first round of a Grand Slam for just the second time in his career to fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in Melbourne.
After his unexpectedly early departure, the 29-year-old traveled to Mallorca, Spain, to start training for what could be a make or break year on clay, starting with the defense of his title in Buenos Aires.
Photo: EPA
“I want to thank the organizers of the Argentina Open for giving me this wild-card to play in Buenos Aires,” he told the ATP Web site from Mallorca on Monday. “The times that I have played in Argentina have been special and full of good memories because the people are some of the best in the world.”
“I asked for this wild-card after the bad result in Melbourne and I hope that Buenos Aires will once again be the start of a good run for me. I will try my best to make sure it is,” he added.
Nadal strengthens the lineup in Argentina, which already features world No. 6 David Ferrer of Spain, world No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France and world No. 12 John Isner of the US.
After last week’s loss, Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, raised the possibility that the 14-time Grand Slam champion might seek a new or expanded coaching team in a bid to arrest his slide in form.
“I understand that, in sport, results come first and if you have to make a change, you have to do it,” Toni Nadal told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope on Wednesday last week.
“To lose so early in Australia is one of the biggest disappointments we have had because in the last four months we had been playing well,” he added.
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