Rafael Nadal: Now Comes Time for Concern at Australian Open

Rafael Nadal entered the Australian Open battling a shoulder injury. With a heavily bandaged right knee he will now have to fight yet another health issue against increasingly difficult opponents.

Nadal faces what should be an easy victory over Lukas Lacko on day five, but he does so with an aching body that will not be granted rest. 

If Nadal does get past Lacko, the opposition gets ratcheted up tenfold. That does not bode well for a player that is known to cover more ground than his opponent, even when he is winning. 

The Spaniard downplayed the injuries recently. The shoulder he came in with, but the knee sprang up after he defeated Alex Kuznetsov 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 on Monday.

The Vancouver Sun reports on an injury that sounds a great deal worse than Nadal is proving it is. 

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(While) sitting in a chair at his hotel...Nadal heard a click in the knee and after he stood to try to shake it out, his leg locked up...with what Nadal described as "unbelievable pain." He had an ultrasound and an MRI, and managed to loosen what appears to have been a pinched tendon with intense physiotherapy and strong anti-inflammatories.

"

Hardly the vote of confidence headed into later rounds that may see Nadal take on his old foe, Roger Federer. 

Nadal was no doubt shaken but has since come out and looked just fine in his efforts. He stated how confident he was after an odd and scary moment. Via FOX News:

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"So I still don't understand what happened, but I am really happy that I was ready to play and that I played a fantastic match."

"

Nadal is not yet done with his match with Lacko as of this writing, but a slow start has seen Nadal rise to the occasion. The cream of Spanish talent is truly rising to the top. 

With that said, he is again running ragged on the court and it's any wonder that his knee is not feeling the hardship. 

The talent gets much thicker from here on out and a man who is already known for hard-court hardships will no doubt have a tough battle ahead. This is too much to ask, even if it is of legendary Rafael Nadal. 

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