London, United KingdomRafael Nadal of Spain attends a news conference after being defeated by Nick Kyrgios of Australia in their men's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 1, 2014.
London, United KingdomRafael Nadal of Spain attends a news conference after being defeated by Nick Kyrgios of Australia in their men's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London July 1, 2014. REUTERS

Rafael Nadal's ability to quickly recuperate from injuries and bounce back for the upcoming Australian Open were put to trash when he lost to Michael Berrer in Qatar by 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. His loss opened the floodgates to doubts whether or not Nadal would be as quick at the Australian Open and win the same.

Nadal's match against the 34-year-old qualifier was his first round match at the 2015 ATP World Tour. During the match, it mirrored how Nadal lacked sufficient time to fully get back on his feet right after he acquired appendectomy. He also had less than two months practice since then.

Apart from the appendectomy, Nadal also had his fair share with back and wrist injuries, which contributed to his poor service speed. After his loss to Berrer, Nadal doubted his ability to win the Australian Open with only two weeks to beat.

According to Nadal, he shall see how things turn in a couple of months. As this was his third comeback after his injury, doubts as to how he will handle things remain. No matter his desires to play at the Australian Open, Nadal needs to listen to his body and see how things will be set out for him before the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. He said he will be working so hard to be able to participate in the Australian Open. Otherwise, he will be playing at Rio and Buenos Aires.

The main target of Nadal these days is to practise for the upcoming Australian Open. "Now in my mind I have to practise well and try to be ready for Australia, but I know it can happen that I will go there and lose. Perhaps I will win a couple of matches there, I don't know, " the 14-time Grand Slam champion said.

Despite only taking four games in four sets, a match with the legendary Nadal is a career opportunity for Berrer, who raised his playing field to a new standard. In fact, he further noted how his match with Nadal will forever linger in his memory, and that he enjoyed the first match. Berrer had his advantage against Nadal at 3-1; something that only a lefty can perhaps have against the Grand Slam champion.

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