Feli and Nando pulled out of their second round doubles match prior to starting play. The ATP’s site tells us:

[5] W Moodie (RSA) / D Norman (BEL) d F Lopez (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) W/O (Verdasco knee)

So in addition to dealing with the foot problem, Nando also has some kind of knee injury :(

He’ll be able to take the next two and a half weeks off until Valencia starts on October 31, so hopefully the problem gets treated by then. We’re all supporting you, Nando!

So that’s it for Nando in Shanghai. Best of luck to Feli in his third round match (he’ll play Jurgen Melzer)

Meant to post this earlier but forgot. While still in Kuala Lumpur, Nando was asked about his reaction to Madrid’s losing their Olympic bid to Rio de Janeiro.

“I’m sad about the decision. I’m from Madrid and I wish I could have the chance to play my last Olympic Games at home. But Rio de Janeiro deserved to win. I have many friends from Brazil and although I am sad for Madrid, I am very happy for Rio and the Brazilians. I really hope to play in the Olympic Games there.”

Special congrats to Rio for winning the bid to host the 2016 Games! Nando didn’t get a chance to represent Spain at the 2008 Games in Beijing because of the rule that a country is only allowed a maximum of it’s four highest-ranked players. At the time, Nando was the fifth highest-ranked Spaniard, after Nadal, Robredo, Ferrer and Almagro. Now he’s Spain’s second-ranked player and hopefully by the time the 2012 Games come around, he’ll get the chance to represent Spain.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. If I could just ask, at one point you seemed like you were ill. Were you feeling sick on the court today, or did you have any condition? Was there a turn in the match for you that you could attribute to physical problems?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think that the problems was there, and everybody knows about it. Just the thing that today I had Djokovic in front of me, and he’s a great player, very good player, one of the best.

These problems that I have, you know, with one guy like him, there are bigger problems with another players. So, you know, I just try my best, but it was not enough to win today.

Q. Can you take positives out of this tournament? You’ve reached the quarterfinals here for the first time. I know it’s very soon after the match, but can you take some positives out of the way you played the tournament in general?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yes, of course. I think that for me, so important to reach the quarterfinals here for first time. And also the way I’m playing I think is good. And also reaching the quarterfinals being injured the last two matches is important for me, no, to be able to win anyways don’t feeling good and having like handicap in my game.

But, you know, of course you are sad when you lost, but for another part I am happy to reach the quarters feeling and having these problem since second round. So I’m happy for that.

Q. Is the abdominal, the stomach muscle, the reason you’re not playing Davis Cup, or is that because of the foot?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Both.

Q. You just decided you needed a bit of a rest?

FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, of course I need to rest. First day abdominal, because I have micro tears, and tomorrow I have proof to know how long I need to rest, to recover. But I think it’s going to take around one week or ten days.

So in that time, I will take that time also to have the surgery on my foot and take the problem I have in the foot also out and come back as soon as possible without any problems.

(via us open)

Saturday, September 5, 2009

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How is the tournament going for you so far?
FERNANDO VERDASCO:Right now good. I’m in fourth round again after two years. I’m so happy, no? Right now is going good.

Q. When you assess the competition, how do you see it going forward?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I am feeling good. You know, I know that every round getting more difficult normally because, you know, you play normally more rounds with better players.

But I’m feeling good. And, you know, I’m feeling very good in the court. I’m playing good. I need to be happy for that, no? I’m winning. I’m now in fourth round.

I feel good. I feel happy. Right now I’m waiting for my next opponent. They are playing right now. Both of them are big server. Is gonna be tough to return the serves. But I’m feeling good and that’s the most important thing for me.

Q. Between the two of you today you hit 101 unforced errors. How do you feel about the level of play in this match?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: You know, he made me serve and volley many times, and he really served good. Like maybe 5-4 in the second and third set, he didn’t serve that good. But he was really serving good and making good work with the serve, no? Also pushing me a lot. That’s why I did a lot of unforced errors.

And also because I was trying to keep him far away of the baseline, to don’t come forward to the net, because he’s a great player there inside the court.

So that’s why I made more unforced errors than normal, you know, because I was just trying maybe more, or just to don’t let him play easy.

Q. Was he playing as well as you expected him to?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, of course. You know, he’s a great player. He really play good in the last two Grand Slams. Also he won the tournament in Halle. So, you know, everybody knows Tommy Haas, he’s a great player with a lot of talent. You need to be ready. I knew that is gonna be a very tough match before I play today. So I was ready for one match like after happen today.

Q. What happened in the fourth set?
FERNANDO VERDASCO:You know, he really start playing good, pushing me back. He’s a player that sense the rhythm a lot, slice, flat, serving good, going to the net. So it was not easy to play against him. He break me easy at the beginning of the fourth. He start getting confidence, and also, I start a little bit more relaxed than I supposed to be. He took two breaks. After that, you know, it was done.

But after, in the fifth, he break me, but I was, you know, more inside the match and I didn’t let him break my serve twice, to don’t let him do the same like in the fourth set, and just to try to break him back.

So with 3-1, I won my serve, and with 3-2 I break him. I didn’t do the same like in the fourth. But, you know, it was a strange match because also, you know, he was changing a lot his routine in the match, going serve and volley, sometimes staying back, sometimes slice, sometimes going flat and strong. So it was not easy to know what he’s gonna do.

Q. Did you say it was a strange match?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, it was strange because of the situation of the score. He was 5-4 and serving second and third set. He won the fourth 6-1.

After, he was up again a break in the fifth. But I just break him before the 5-4. You know, that gave me the chance to break him again in 5-4, his serve. So, you know, it was a match with a lot of breaks.

But anyway, you know, I was just trying my best and I knew it was a tough match against him.

(via us open)