Rafael Nadal breaks down maths on pursuit of prize versus further injury

Quarantine restrictions have been linked to a spate of abdominal problems at the Australian Open with eight-time champion Novak Djokovic among those affected.

Eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is among the players who are battling abdominal problems this year in Melbourne

When it comes to balancing the equation between chasing success and risking your body on a tennis court, few are better versed on the subject than Rafael Nadal.

The Spaniard, who is just three Australian Open wins away from passing Roger Federer’s grand slam record and plays Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, bears battle scars across his body.

Left foot. Right ankle. Both knees. Elbows. Wrists. Shoulders. Muscles from his neck to toes.

Now into his 19th grand slam season, the 20-time major winner has borne the brunt of both his brilliance and the brutal manner with which he plays.

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In a tournament when several players, including Novak Djokovic, have struggled with abdominal problems, Nadal provided some wisdom.

The sum is simple. Is the prize on offer worth the risk attached? The 34-year-old recalled an instance at the US Open in 2009 when he got the equation wrong.

“It depends what kind of injury you have,” he said.

“I remember in the US Open 2009 that I started the US Open with a strain, I think, here in the abdominal (area).

“I started with 6mm or so of strain and … I lost in that semi-­finals against (Juan Martin) Del Potro and I finished the tournament with 26mm. Of course it wasn’t a smart decision.

“It depends what you have later. I feel that if I have to rest for one month or something, it was not a disaster for me.

“You need to find a balance, but at this point of my career, if there is a big chance to increase something very important, probably I will not play, because for me, the happiness is much more important than give me a chance to win, and at the same time, if you are bad, you will not win.

“If you really have physical problems, you will not win. If you have some pain and it’s not putting you in a situation that limits you, the movements, maybe you can find a way. But when you really have an injury, it’s impossible to win a tournament like this.”

Djokovic, who is seeking a ninth Australian Open, is considering that equation.

The world No.1 said he waited until he had finished his warm-up before his clash against Milos ­Raonic on Sunday before deciding he was capable of competing, which he did in style when a four-set winner.

With at least one month until the Miami Masters, which is the next significant tournament on the calendar, Djokovic opted to pay the price on Sunday night.

However, it is a roll of the dice and a gamble that Italian Matteo Berrettini was not prepared to take when he withdrew from his fourth-round match against Tsitsipas on Monday night.

“I felt something on my ab,” Berrettini said. “I thought that wasn’t something really big, but the next day when I woke up I felt it was big. So I spoke to the doctors and they told me, ‘Look, it can get ­really worse, so it’s not worth the try’.

“Obviously I’m not 100 per cent. So to beat these guys, like, you have to be 100 per cent.

“I think it’s not really professional to step in when you’re not the best.”

The spate of abdominal issues suffered by players in recent days has raised queries about a link to quarantine conditions.

Others to struggle include Casper Ruud, who withdrew when trailing by two sets against Andrey Rublev on Monday, while Zverev had an issue in the ATP Cup.

Ash Barty’s quarter-final rival Karolina Muchova withdrew from a preparatory event earlier this month with stomach muscle soreness, while former Australian Open semi-finalist Johanna Konta was forced to withdraw with an abdominal injury while leading an opening-round clash.

There is not a definitive explanation, but Tim Henman is among those to surmise that the issue is linked to compromised preparations caused by serving a fortnight in quarantine.

“They perhaps haven’t had the numbers of hours to prepare, practise and therefore the repetition to get a quantity of serves under your belt,” he told The Times.

“When you go into the longer format, best-of-five sets, that could also be part of the reason.

“The abdominal stain is a really tough one. Sometimes if you have an elbow, shoulder or joint issue, you can maybe take some anti-inflammatories and fight your way through the event.

“You get an abdominal strain and you’re really up against it ­because it’s not something you can play through. The challenges around quarantine and then getting into five-set matches are putting extra strain on the muscles.”