Nadal received treatment on his right leg Sunday in the final of the ABN Amro, which he lost to Andy Murray. Although many believed the injury to be linked with the right knee injury that forced him to skip last year's Davis Cup final, Nadal said otherwise.
"It's not the knee, so there's no worry about that," Nadal said Monday. "I'm sure I will recover quickly. It's nothing similar to last year. It's a lot less worrisome, let's hope."
Nadal said he would play for defending champion Spain against Serbia in the Davis Cup from March 6-8 — barring injury — but couldn't confirm he would participate in the Dubai Tennis Championships, which start next Monday.
Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, Spain's team doctor, said Nadal strained a ligament below the knee against Murray but it was not severe and that he should recover quickly.
"It's a result of a combination of things, from fatigue to the change of playing surface,"' Ruiz-Cotorro said. "There are few tennis players who don't go out onto the court without some kind of nag, or problem."
Ruiz-Cotorro said Nadal's offseason regimen has him better prepared for this season then in the past when a grueling schedule often left the 22-year-old battered at the end of the season.
"He's taken a longer break coming in. He's better prepared than ever," Ruiz-Cotorro said.
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