Rafael Nadal Must Make Quick Return to Full Health to Contend in 2015

Over the past year, Rafael Nadal has made headlines for tournament withdrawals much more so than tournament victories. That trend is continuing in Asia, and until it ends, the Spaniard will have a hard time keeping up with the world's top tennis players.

The ATP Tour has headed east with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Nadal and more top names competing in the China Open (Beijing) and Shanghai Open.

The 28-year-old Nadal made his return in Beijing after being sidelined since Wimbledon—more than three months—with a wrist injury.

It started with promise when Nadal ousted Richard Gasquet and Peter Gojowczyk both in straight sets, but it quickly turned sour. He fell to Martin Klizan 7-6, 4-6, 3-6, giving away a great opportunity to close it in two and instead being eliminated in the quarterfinal.

Nadal still has the Shanghai Open starting on Tuesday, but as the only one of the top three seeds not to advance to the semis in Beijing, it's hard to see him bouncing back on such short notice.

With the 2015 Australian Open—the year's first major—starting on January 19, Nadal is running out of time if he plans on contending for anything more than the French Open (a tournament that might as well be named after him by now). 

Of course, there's a world of difference in Nadal's comeback based on the playing surface. A clay-court dynamo, Nadal admitted his return would be expedited if it came on his most familiar surface, per Amlan Chakraborty of Reuters:

"

Coming back in this part of the season is completely different than if I am coming back on clay. I would be able to be in rhythm a little bit faster, a little bit easier...

For me this last part of the season obviously is important. Every tournament is important for me. At the same time I want to finish with a better feeling possible to start the new season with good tennis.

"

The King of Clay has shown his dominance on those courts, winning the French Open in a whopping nine of the last 10 years. But since 2011, he has only lifted one major trophy outside of Roland Garros.

Vincent Thian/Associated Press

Injuries have played a central role in that, with recurring knee problems sidelining him for nearly eight months late in 2012. But he slowly rehabbed his way back to the court, peaking in health to start 2013 and winning two majors—including the U.S. Open.

Amid a run to the Australian Open final and another dominant French Open to start 2014, Nadal was back on top of the sport and held the No. 1 ranking until a shocking fourth-round defeat at Wimbledon.

That's when the injuries cropped up again, this time a wrist injury that he was unable to bounce back from to defend his U.S. Open title in September—the same injury he's currently coming back from.

That just goes to show that when Nadal gives his body time to recuperate fully, the rest of the tennis world once again becomes victim of the Spaniard's dominant all-around game.

But with major championships becoming more fought for than ever across the board in 2014, he can't afford to take long getting his game back up to scratch—which it obviously hasn't been in Asia.

All it takes is a few short months without Nadal, and the top of the sport can quickly forget his impact. Just look at Federer's comments heading into the Shanghai Open that show no sign of Nadal despite his inclusion in the event, per TennisWorldItalia.com's Chiara Gambuzza:

A few short years ago, the game was dominated by Federer and Nadal simultaneously. When one was down, the other was simply looking over his shoulder, waiting for him to re-emerge.

Now, doing that will get either player run over by a Djokovic, Murray, Stan Wawrinka or any one of a handful of emerging stars.

This is the reality of a tennis year that is gearing up to begin without Nadal having made his comeback. He's not even mentioned by his archrival entering a tournament, despite Nadal—apparently—feeling back at full health.

Chances are when the 2015 French Open comes around, Nadal will shake off his struggles just as he did this year. We know nobody will be overlooking him there, not after nearly sweeping the event for an entire decade. 

But if Nadal is going to stay near the top of the sport, it's going to take much more than clay-court dominance. It will take full health and a speedy return to his top form—neither of which look like sure things at the moment.