''Injuries are part of the sport and you try to avoid them as an athlete as much as you can,'' Djokovic said. ''The nature of the injury is still to be determined.
He was hoping to be ready to play the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, which he considers his home event, but didn't sound convinced he'd be ready to play when it gets underway April 14.
''It's swollen, and when it's swollen it's definitely not a good first sign,'' Djokovic said. ''I'm going to do everything I can in my power to recover till that tournament. How realistic that is, I don't know what to tell you.''
Nadal has to be in cartwheel mode right about now. With Murray barely winning @ Miami - without playing Djokovic AND facing Ferrer in the final - and with Djokovic already hobbled by results at Indian Wells and Miami, this has to be an even louder confirmation of what Nadal was hoping for.
Even though Nadal won three of the four tournaments he has competed in this season AND both Djokovic and Murray have looked less than their real self, Nadal is STILL not ready to face an in-reduced-full-flight top two cats. He is FAR from ready, maybe even on clay. BUT if they pipe down far enough, the scales may begin to tip in Nadal's favor - even on hard courts EVEN if Nadal doesn't improve on his current form.
With the likelihood of Nadal improving bright given his track record, above dynamic may prove to be the gift he wasn't even expecting, at least this early.
With Djokovic out, the onus to stop Nadal at least on clay will fall on Federer and Murray. Did someone laugh out loud?
However, even if this scenario plays out to Nadal's advantage on clay, not much will be lost as most folks including the top cats believe there's not much that can be done to stop Nadal. BUT if this bleeds onto the grass courts of Wimbledon, worry would appear like an understatement, specially for Federer.
You at least want Nadal to work for whatever he gets in the hope of limiting his stay on the tour due to injury relapse and stress. Without the required pressure, the green light could extend to stations far beyond what even Nadal today expects.
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