Nadal pulls out of Sydney International

The two-time French Open champion was due to serve to stay in the first set at 5-6 against Australian wild-card entry Chris Guccione on Tuesday when he decided to concede the match following advice from a trainer.

“I asked for the physio and he said if you’re going to play on, it’s going to get worse.” The 20-year-old Spaniard, the top-seeded player in Sydney, had initially called for a medical timeout after the seventh game to allow the trainer to massage his right leg.

Nadal said he felt the injury on the plane trip from India on Monday following his surprise loss to Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the semi-finals at Chennai. “When I woke up this morning I didn’t feel very well but I try on court,” he said.

The No. 2-ranked Nadal will head to Melbourne on Wednesday to continue his preparations for the season’s first major and receive further treatment. “I hope in two more days it will be 100 percent because I want to play in the Australian Open for sure,” he said. “I need more matches and I need to get my rhythm.”

Nadal said he was ready for the first Grand Slam event of the year both mentally and physically after a strong off season at home in Spain. “I was practicing very hard in Mallorca to come here with my best.”

Nadal missed last year’s Australian Open due because of a foot injury but had success in his two previous appearances in the tournament, reaching the third and fourth rounds before losing to local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 and ‘05.

Nadal was among four retirements at the Sydney tournament Tuesday. Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand (wrist) also pulled out on the men’s side, while in the women’s draw former US Open champion and second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova (respiratory virus) and No. 4 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia (abdominal strain) both quit their matches early.

—BRAD VAN WELY