Is Rafael Nadal down with a wrist injury or a stomach bug?

Spanish Tennis star Rafael Nadal

New Delhi: After all the anticipation it turned out to be a colossal disappointment. For fans and sponsors alike. First came the ‘rumour' that it was a ‘stomach bug' but later it turned out to Rafael Nadal's old ‘bugbear' - the errant wrist, which has been the cause of much of the left-hander's misery this year.

He did not play yesterday, but he may yet make an appearance at the doubles, in which he won the Olympic gold alongside, Marc Lopez in Rio, or in the reverse singles. Surprises, surprises.

So, the first day's story was not Spain's 2-0 lead, but it was Nadal's ‘no-show'. Nadal's replacement, Feliciano Lopez's win over Ramanathan Ramkumar was no surprise but his revelation after the match, sure was. In the absence of any official statement before the commencement of the opening match of the World Group Play-off match between favourites Spain and hosts India, the ‘stomach bug' and the ‘infamous' Delhi Belly ruled the twitter world!

On Thursday night Ramkumar must have gone to sleep thinking he was going to see the legendary 14-time Grand Slam champion across the net. But yesterday afternoon he found Lopez, the World No. 26, on the other side. Lopez won in four sets and Spain went 1-0 up. No surprise, for no matter who of the Spaniards sent to the court, they were expected to win the singles.

But the big surprise came at the post-match press conference. Feliciano, who stood in for Nadal, revealed that there was "nothing was wrong" with Nadal's stomach. It was the old wrist injury, which has still not healed. Even he had a hearty laugh.

Fans ditched
But it was no laughing matter for the sponsors and the fans, who flew in from as far as Mumbai, Kolkata and some other cities. Local fans stood in queues for hours on Tuesday to get the ‘free' passes and again for hours to get into the RK Khanna DLTA Stadium. So, why did Nadal really pull out? And, why this confusion? Could not the Spaniards have simply said that Nadal would take court if fit? Eyebrows had been raised as to why Spain was bringing in an all-stars team against a struggling Indian side.

So, was there something else that required Nadal's presence in India? Was it the presence of Mapfre, who the Indian announcer, at Tuesday's press conference, said were the ‘local' sponsors of the Spanish team here for this match? Mapfre, a Spanish insurance company, who are hoping to make an entry into the Indian market, have also been
the sponsors and supporters of the Rafa Nadal Tour for juniors (Under-13 and 15) run by the legend's own Foundation.

All fine, but if Nadal's wrist was not still not fully healed, the impression need not have been given that he was ready to do battle as the draw indicated. It could have saved a lot of fans a lot of time and, more importantly, a lot of money.

Rafa was fine for the first three days of his arrival, during which he trained in the intense heat, interacted with the media and signed autographs for kids. He even turned up for the function where La Liga inaugurated their India office.

Sponsor connection?
It must also have been a blow for the last-minute sponsors, Mapfre, and La Liga, the Spanish football league, which hopes to cash in on the sports growing popularity in India. But La Liga timed the inauguration of their India officevery well and it was attended by Nadal on Thursday. Nadal was clearly the ‘pull factor' for both.

That wrist has caused much anguish for Nadal this year. He exited in the first round of Australian Open; withdrew from the third round at Paris and totally missed Wimbledon before failing to go beyond fourth Round at the US Open. In between, he did win the men's doubles gold medal at Rio Olympics, but lost in the singles semis and also the bronze play-off.

Standing in a line, the fans were all oblivious about the drama inside the stadium and more so the Spanish team room. Then the Twitter world exploded - ‘Rafa was out'. Beaten not by injuries, as he has often been and more so this year, or by a tennis racket wielding opponent or a tiny ‘stomach bug' as we believed for hours. In the end, it was the ‘silly' old wrist problem that refuses to go!