Nadal may hit peak fitness at US Open, says expert

Rafael Nadal's recovery from tendinitis in both knees appears to be progressing so well that he could be back at peak fitness for the US Open, according to a sports injury specialist at the University of California.

The Spanish world no.3 said in June he had been playing with pain in his knees for nine months and was out for 10 weeks before making his return at this month's Montreal Masters.

He fell in the last eight to Juan Martin del Potro but went one round better at the Cincinnati Masters, losing on Saturday in the semi-finals to Novak Djokovic.

The pain had gone and he said the result was even better than he hoped for going into the final grand slam of 2009 starting on Monday, the only one to elude him.

"Nadal is a younger player so he certainly has a bigger capacity to heal," said Anthony Luke, an associate professor and director in Primary Care Sports Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

"He's definitely competitive which is a great sign," he added.

"I do think he has a chance to be at his peak at the US Open and his rhythm and performance should continue to improve as long as the knee doesn't give any setbacks."

Luke said Nadal's specific knee problems were particularly common among tennis players because of the amount of stopping and starting and also afflicted basketball players and other jumping athletes.

Nadal's physical style of play, which relies on power and athleticism in contrast to his more graceful rival Roger Federer, puts him more at risk, Luke added.

"Rafael Nadal is pure power and plays the game at 100 per cent intensity so each match he is putting so much more pressure on his tendons," Luke said.

"In his favour are his athleticism and his conditioning, which are outstanding. If anyone can come back from something like this it's a guy like Nadal."

In very serious cases, surgery would be attempted to strip away scar tissue on the tendon, but Nadal's reasonably rapid recovery without the need to go under the knife suggested his problems were not especially serious, Luke said.

The best-of-five sets matches at the US Open will present an additional challenge to Nadal's recovery and he remained cautious after the Cincinnati event.

"We will see how I am physically to play the five set matches," he said.

"I know when I am playing well I can play at this level. But you only can win against these top players when you are playing your best tennis."