World number two Rafael Nadal announced his plans to take several weeks off after the Australian Open 2012 tournament which begins on January 16 in order to recover from a nagging shoulder injury.
At an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, Nadal said that he’s been recuperating from the injury even before the year-end ATP World Tour Finals in London in November.
Nadal was a two-time defending champion at the two-day exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi but lost in the semifinals against David Ferrer.
“I had a problem before London with my shoulder and I had to stop for about 10 days before the (ATP) finals,” Nadal said.
“It felt better but again it resurfaced. In December, I did not have enough time to practice because of that,” he added.
Nadal will be competing this week at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2012 tournament in Doha.