Nadal's Noggin, Not Knees, Might Be the Real Problem

We're still going with the idea that Rafael Nadal skipped Wimbledon because his knees hurt. That will always be the official word. It wasn't his brain. It was his knees.

His knees.

Not that he needed a mental break from being No. 1, from being expected to win the French and to defend Wimbledon. From not having the shelter of Roger Federer.

I'm thinking it was both, really. Knees and brain. So Nadal returned to the tour Wednesday night for the first time since the French Open in May, when he lost to Robin Soderling. David Ferrer, a grinder, figured to be a great first test for Nadal's knees this week at the Rogers Cup in Montreal, but instead, after 36 minutes, with Nadal leading 4-3, Ferrer retired from the match. His knees hurt.

"The first movements (are) tough and hard to move well and feel confident when you are touching the ball," Nadal said. "But that's the normal thing. I must be happy because I didn't play terrible."

Oh no. Do you hear the doubt?

This is barely even a start, and I'm not just talking about the knees, which Nadal said felt fine.

Nadal is all about doubt now, and it's a shocking thing to see from one of tennis' all-time great fighters.

He came into the tournament saying it was "almost impossible" for him to win, as he wasn't in practice, wasn't sharp. What about the U.S. Open, which starts in 2 1/2 weeks?

"You're talking about winning the U.S. Open, no?" he said. "I am talking right now about being fit and recovered from my injury 100 percent."

Who is this guy?

For the longest time, Nadal wouldn't even admit that his knees hurt, at least not to us. But maybe not to himself, either. The knees were fine.

Maybe they hurt a little, but it was nothing. His playing style would not wear him down.

Lying? Technically, yes. But this was about courage. It was about toughness. It was about never letting your opponent know.

In tennis, you stand alone. Tired? Sick? Well, that's your problem.

There is no one to pass the ball to. Knee hurts? Let the other guy know and he'll make you run. Even when Uncle Toni, his beloved coach and family member, was screaming that the sky was falling, Nadal was always shooting him down, trying, and failing, to shut him up.

This is exactly what made Rafael Nadal, Rafael Nadal.

I am still not satisfied with what happened for Nadal to pull out of Wimbledon. It was clear in the clay court season that his knees were hurting, no matter what he said. Then, he lost to Robin Soderling at the French, where no one beats him.

But you would think a warrior like Nadal would have done anything possible to defend that Wimbledon title, especially after the amazing final against Federer that gave tennis its big moment.

Instead, Nadal went to England to practice and test the knees. He played a practice match against Lleyton Hewitt, who is in the middle of a career re-emergence, and then pulled out of Wimbledon.

What?

I'm not doubting that the knees hurt. But remember before Nadal pulled out, when Andy Roddick said he expected him to play, that everyone on tour has tendinitis.

It's not easy being No. 1. And maybe Nadal needed a mental break.

So we'll have to see how the mind is doing now. Maybe the break gave him what he needed.

Meanwhile, the knees will not have recovered for the long-term, not since May. Nadal is 23, and the tendinitis is a direct reflection of the wear-and-tear his storming-the-court style puts on his body.

He is going to have to make some changes, like maybe taking more chances on serves and flattening out some shots for shorter points, especially against the lesser opponents. And he's going to have to cut back his schedule some to preserve the knees.

I wonder if his style is creating doubts for him, too, whether he feels he has to change the things that got him to No. 1.

"It's always a pleasure to come back," he said. "It's only been (two) months and a half, it's not three years outside of tennis. But when you have some time off competition, when you come back, it's a little more exciting."

Listen carefully to Nadal from here. The real Nadal never thought anything was impossible.