Nadal vs pain: I hope to play at Australian Open but I'm not 100% sure

Rafael Nadal gave his supporters a big injection of hope with good performances in the opening two rounds of the ATP tournament in Brisbane, but a year-long absence took its toll and showed up as early as the quarter-finals.

The winner of 22 Grand Slam titles was defeated by the local tennis player Jordan Thompson 2-1 (7:5, 6:7, 3:6) and during the third set the Spaniard requested a medical time-out.

"I have to accept things as they are. It's not like I spent four months at the highest level. I've only been at the highest level for a month. Hopefully I can train next week and play in the Australian Open, but I'm not 100 percent sure. Pain is in the same place but I feel it's more from muscle reacting than fatigue. Last season it was a tendon and the feeling was completely different because I noticed it a lot more. Today I didn't feel anything, not sure what's going on, is it more to the point that I was scared", Nadal wonders.

After losing to Mackenzie MacDonald at last year's Australian Open, Nadal was initially diagnosed with a six to eight week break, and after hip surgery at the beginning of June, it turned out that he did not play until the end of the season.

"I hope my muscles are in tone enough after a few days of playing and a tough match like today's against Thompson. I've already said that my goal is to be competitive for a few months. A lot of things can happen to my body after a year without competition. I hope it's just a strained muscle in that area. I've said before that I didn't come here to win tournaments. I came here to play tennis and do my best. Hopefully I'll be better in a couple of days, if not - I'll do the needed tests and wait for results," Nadal plans.