Here is what The World Number 2 said after the withdraw from Brisbane :

“It’s an important risk to not have the chance to play in Melbourne,” Nadal said in a press conference.

“And if I don’t play, the evolution of the thing is going very well. I am practicing and I feel like I can give a good level of tennis but I can’t do my 100 per cent.

“So I don’t play here and I probably secure that I’m going to be 100 per cent for Melbourne. Everybody’s telling me that it’s not a good idea to increase the possibility to convert the strain into a bigger problem.”

“It was a great level of tennis every time that I was on court,” he said. “So that’s great news. I enjoyed it a lot.

“I achieved things that were amazing for me.

“It was a tough year in terms of injuries. (But) in terms of tennis level, I enjoyed every time I had the chance to be on court so it was a great year.”

“I want to keep fighting for the things that really make me feel alive, you know, for the things that motivate me.

“I prefer to be No. 1 than be No.2, and I prefer to be No. 2 than No. 5 — that’s obvious.”

“But my main goal is to stay healthy, stay happy and try to play as long as possible.”

“Injuries sometimes just happen,”

“I really believe that I have a lot of tennis to play in my career, and I really feel that my body is not going worse every year.”