Nadal Missing, 3 French Open Champs at ATP Valencia

Posted on April 10, 2006

In 2005 during his break-out year on tour, Spain's Rafael Nadal played virtually every claycourt event he could find, winning eight dirt titles among his overall 11. If your local country club had a claycourt event, there was a likelihood you'd find Nadal's name on the drawsheet.

Unfortunately Nadal's grinding 2005 campaign, which included his first French Open title, also took an injury toll. A foot injury turned out to be more serious, even potentially career-threatening in Nadal's mind, knee tendonitis lingered, and the Spaniard was forced to miss the year-end Masters Cup and this January's Australian Open.

Now the player who seemingly had no need for off weeks in 2005 is scaling back his schedule, with no greater evidence than this week at the IV Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana where Nadad chose to pass on the homecountry event.

Left to carry the ticket sales in Valencia is non-marquee top-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who will be tested by two seeded former Roland Garros champions in Gaston Gaudio and Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Other tops seeds are Spaniards David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco, Russians Igor Andreev and Dmitry Tursunov, and Italian Filippo Volandri.

Opening-round matches of interest include (5) Andreev vs. (WC) Marat Safin, and an all-Spanish affair in (7) Verdasco vs. Al Martin.

Other wildcards went to Spanish French Open champ Al Costa and Guillem Burniol.

In last year's final the No. 7-seeded Andreev outlasted the No. 5-seeded Ferrer 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Former champs in the field are Andreev (2005), Verdasco (2004) and Ferrero (2003).

Highlights of Monday play are the former French Open champ (WC) Costa vs. Pashanski, A.Martin vs. (7) Verdasco, and Sluiter vs. the former French champ (2) Gaudio.