Nadal feared injury repercussions

World number two Rafael Nadal feared a persistent foot injury would force him to quit tennis at the age of 19. "You think of everything, including that at the very worst you won't be able to return to play tennis again," the Spaniard said. "I have...

World number two Rafael Nadal feared a persistent foot injury would force him to quit tennis at the age of 19.

"You think of everything, including that at the very worst you won't be able to return to play tennis again," the Spaniard said.

"I have cried many times at home especially when I saw that I couldn't play and the pain wouldn't go away. It was a really bad time."

Nadal injured his left foot while preparing for the Masters Cup in Shanghai in November, and has not played a competitive match since winning the Madrid Masters in October.

The French Open champion played an exhibition match in Tarbes, France, on Sunday where he beat Fabrice Santoro 6-2 1-6 10-3. He will miss Spain's Davis Cup tie against Belarus this weekend and is scheduled to begin his season at the ATP event in Marseille starting on Monday.

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