Agencies/New York
Rafael Nadal has been confirmed as a scheduled participant in the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati next month. |
Having already been named in the field for the Rogers Cup Masters event in Montreal the week before, Nadal’s entry into the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati had been in some doubt.
The Spaniard’s long-standing knee problems are exacerbated by the hardcourts on which both tournaments are played so, having been forced out of the game for seven months until February, there had been some suggestion he would skip one of the tournaments.
However, Nadal’s name was announced at Monday’s Cincinnati field announcement, alongside the other members of the so-called ‘Big Four’ - Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Nadal, who has won seven titles since returning to action earlier this year, is currently back in practice following his Wimbledon first-round exit when he again struggled with his knees. He was pictured on Monday in Mallorca hitting with doubles star Nenad Zimonjic.
World number one Djokovic will be bidding to become the first player to win all nine of the current Masters 1000 tournaments, the Ohio event being the one he has not won despite reaching the final four times.
Federer is a five-time winner in Cincinnati, including last year, while new Wimbledon champion Murray claimed the title in both 2011 and 2008.
In the women’s event - played during the same week - the field is led by Serena Williams. Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenka and defending champion Li Na will also be involved.
The action in Cincinnati gets under way on August 11.
Sharapova pulls out of Stanford event
World No 2 Maria Sharapova pulled out of next week’s WTA Tour Standford Classic with a nagging hip injury.
Sharapova’s withdrawal Monday has robbed the tournament of one of its biggest names. The Russian suffered the left hip injury during Wimbledon which ended earlier this month.
“We understand that a player’s health must always come first,” said tournament director Kim Hall.
Hall also said Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens, who is ranked 15th overall, had pulled out. Officials did not give a reason for Flipkens’s withdrawal.
With the loss of Sharapova, the top draws in the event now include recently crowned Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli and world number four Agnieszka Radwanska. Former US Open champion Samantha Stosur, of Australia, and 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone are also in the field.
Sharapova and Flipkens will be replaced in the 28-player draw by world number 46 Daniela Hantuchova and Christina McHale, who is ranked 79th.
The tournament, which includes singles and doubles players, runs from July 22-28.