Tennis: Nadal looks to end jinx
KEY BISCAYNE, FLA.— Rafael Nadal says his return to the Miami Open brings back mostly good memories, even though he’s 0-4 in finals.
Nadal enters the event for the 11th time Saturday, when he plays his opening match against Damir Dzumhur. The 14-time Grand Slam champion is seeded only fifth and hasn’t claimed a title since August. But he has won 35 matches at Key Biscayne and is liable to hang around until next weekend, which would delight South Florida’s Spanish-speaking fans.
“I think I played well in my career here, no?” Nadal said Thursday.
“It’s a positive tournament for me. Only negative thing is I finally never win it. But the feeling, the atmosphere here is great. I enjoy being here.”
Another fan favourite, Roger Federer, was forced to postpone his return from knee surgery because of a stomach virus. Federer was scheduled to play Friday for the first time in nearly two months, but he withdrew shortly before the match because of the illness.
“I feel bad for the tournament and the fans, as I have rarely ever had to withdraw at such short notice,” Federer said in a statement.
Federer has been sidelined since undergoing arthroscopic surgery Feb. 3 for torn cartilage in his left knee. The 2005-06 Key Biscayne champion hasn’t played in the tournament since 2014.
“It’s obvious that a tournament with Roger is always better,” Nadal said.
Nadal was the Key Biscayne runnerup to Federer in 2005, Nikolay Davydenko in 2008 and Novak Djokovic in 2011 and 2014.
Federer’s return will now likely be on clay next month at Monte Carlo.
No. 10 Venus Williams lost her serve nine times and was beaten by qualifier Elena Vesnina 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-2.