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Agassi, Nadal withdraw from Shanghai Masters
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-15 01:40
Nadal said he had consulted local doctors in Shanghai and the tournament
doctor, and all recommended he withdraw and rest the damaged ligaments in his
foot.
 Nadal said he hadn't been able to play or train since hurting the foot
in his win over Ljubicic last month in Madrid.
"I had a lot of inflammation in the foot after Madrid," Nadal said. "After I
came here, I had more pain."
The two latest injuries are a major setback for the season-ending Masters
Cup, which is supposed to feature the top eight players of the year.
No. 3 Andy Roddick and Australian Open winner Marat Safin withdrew before the
tournament because of injuries. Lleyton Hewitt, ranked fourth, opted to remain
in Sydney with his wife, actress Rebecca Cartwright, who is expecting the
couple's first child within two weeks.
Agassi was playing in his first tournament since losing the U.S. Open final
to Federer in September.
"When you haven't played in so long — I couldn't really hit balls for a
couple of months because of my sprained ankle — you came back, try to get ready
in a hurry and you force it and thing just don't respond," he said.
Agassi said the hardcourt surface was difficult for a comeback tournament.
"It's very sticky. It stops and everything else moves. It's hard to have
confidence. Then when you try a little bit, it's still painful," he said. "Today
was obviously taking a chance to test (the ankle) out — I was just getting
worse. It's not ready."
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