Miami : The tennis world is turning its attention to the clay court season, with the field wide open due to the absence of Swiss great Roger Federer and Argentina’s Juan del Potro, as well as questions about the health of Spain’s Rafa Nadal, the undisputed “king of clay.”
Nadal, the World No. 1, may make his return to the court from a leg injury next weekend, when Spain take on Germany in a Davis Cup tie in Valencia.
The Spanish star, a 16-time Grand Slam champion, has been bothered by the leg injury since the Australian Open and again injured the leg in Acapulco.
Nadal faces a tough challenge since he will be defending 4,680 points after winning titles on red clay at the French Open, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Barcelona last year.
The Spaniard regained the top spot in the ATP rankings with 8,770 points, while Federer, who is once again skipping the clay season to focus on the grass court events leading up to Wimbledon, has 8,670 points.
Federer was the World No. 1 until the Miami Open, where the defending champion went out in the second round, losing 990 points.