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Nadal Tests Foot This Week at ATP Marseille
Posted on February 13, 2006
Rafael Nadal is the main attraction this week at the Open 13 in Marseille on hardcourts, where the Spaniard makes his 2006 debut after returning from what he feared might be a career-ending foot injury.
"I'm really happy to be here," said the 19-year-old Nadal, still at No. 2 after an almost-three-month absence from the game. "I've been out of the swing of things for a long time and I hope to get back into the rhythm with a few matches to regain my form."
Nadal was only an overly-muscled, oft-injured promising teenage curiosity on tour until last year when he burst out for 11 titles, matching that of world No. 1 Roger Federer.
Joining Nadal among the seeds in Marseille are two-time 2006 title winner Ivan Ljubicic, Russian Nikolay Davydenko, Swede Thomas Johansson coming off a crushing Davis Cup defeat, Frenchmen Richard Gasquet and Sebastien Grosjean coming off their D-Cup blitzing of Germany, Ljubicic's Croatian compatriot Mario "Baby Goran" Ancic, and Czech Radek Stepanek.
Opening-round match-ups to watch for are (7) Stepanek vs. fellow Czech giant-killer Tomas Berdych, (4) T.Johansson vs. Fabrice "The Magician" Santoro, (5) Gasquet vs. (WC) Arnaud Clement in an all-French, (8) Grosjean vs. Gael "Force" Monfils in another all-French, (6) Baby Goran vs. Aussie Open runner-up Marcos "Bombs Over" Baghdatis, and (2) Ljubicic vs. Paradorn "The Thai Fighter" Srichaphan.
Last year Joachim Johansson, playing this week in San Jose, defeated Ljubicic in the straight-set final.
Santoro (1999) is the lone returning champion in the field.
On court Monday in Marseille are Berdych vs. (7) Stepanek in an all-Czech, Henman vs. (WC) Sidorenko, and (WC) Simon vs. Nieminen.
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