Dubai: The hardcourts have taken their toll on Rafael Nadal's knees, the Spaniard pulling out of his Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Murray and being advised to take a month's rest. The Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships too doesn't figure on Nadal's radar and while most critics are sceptical of his chances of ever regaining that aura of invincibility, his Spanish compatriot Tommy Robredo thinks otherwise.
Talking exclusively to XPRESS, the former World No 5 said. "For sure Rafa will be back. Once the clay arrives, he'll be fit enough to win all the tournaments as he did a couple of years ago. Then everybody will say he's strong again."
Robredo added: "Obviously he's a player who prefers to play on clay than hard and he has been injured some weeks. Anyway he's always in the quarters and semis of the big tournaments.
"Now the top-four players are very close. A couple of years ago it was only Federer and him but now Murray and Djokovic are very strong as well, so if he doesn't play a couple weeks he can drop a little bit, but then he's going to be up again when he comes back."
Robredo, who has had a great start to the season, leading Spain to victory in the Hopman Cup with victories against John Isner, Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Murray, however, fell in the first round of the Australian open. "Sometimes you have a good match, sometimes you don't. I didn't play a good match and that happened. I lost but anyway I'm still playing good and I hope that I can keep playing at the same level as the Hopman Cup throughout the year."
Now 27, does he believe he can make it to the top five like he did in 2006?
"That's why I'm here, to try. I will try my best. I think I'm at a good age, I'm fit, I have a lot of experience. As I showed in the Hopman Cup, I can play with the best players and surprise them so yes, I will try my best as that is where I want to be."
Robredo has been a regular to Dubai and, like all players, has only good things to say. "I think the city is great, the tournament treats us very well. There is a good crowd, good tennis facilities, great place to go, it's nice and relaxed. It's a great tournament."
And understandably, he sounded disappointed on hearing the tournament would be moved next year.
"I didn't know that. The Aviation Club is the tradition of the tournament and we know everybody there. The tournament is special there, the Aviation Club has been the host of the tennis for the last 10-15 years, it was a great place and we always enjoyed playing there," he said.
