Nadal routed by Youzhny in Chennai final

CHENNAI (India)—World number two Rafael Nadal raised fitness concerns before this month’s Australian Open after he was thrashed 6-0 6-1 by Mikhail Youzhny in the Chennai Open final on Sunday.
The Spaniard looked stiff from the start against fourth seed Youzhny, clearly showing the effect of his marathon four-hour semi-final win over compatriot Carlos Moya the previous day.
Nadal called for medical attention trailing 4-1 in the second set and then went through the motions as Youzhny completed his fourth career title win with ease, disappointing a large holiday crowd cheering the Spaniard.
Youzhny, the world number 19, produced an array of superb forehand shots to race through the first set in just over 20 minutes as Nadal made many unforced errors.
Although the Spaniard took a vitamin tablet during the break between the sets, it appeared to have no effect as Youzhny against broke his rival in the fourth game before going 4-1 up.
The trainer stretched Nadal’s right leg before the player returned to the court to complete the match, Youzhny serving out to secure victory in under one hour.
World number two Rafael Nadal said on Sunday he is fit and ready for the Australian Open despite suffering an embarrassing defeat in the ATP Chennai Open final here. Nadal was demolished by fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-0, 6-1 in a disappointing 58-minute final, raising fears the feisty Spaniard may not be fit for the first Grand Slam event, in Melbourne from January 14.
The 21-year-old called for a trainer midway through the second set, but afterwards insisted he was not injured. “I am fine, there is nothing wrong with me,” Nadal told. “I called the trainer because I was feeling a bit tired. “I look forward to going to Melbourne and training hard for the Australian Open. It is a tournament which interests me a lot.”
Nadal reached the quarter-final at the Open last year, but did not progress beyond the fourth round in two earlier appearances in Melbourne. Nadal looked exhausted after his marathon semi-final against compatriot Carlos Moya on Saturday which lasted three hours and 54 minutes as all three sets went into tie-breaks.
It was the longest three-set match since 1993 when Andrei Cherkasov beat Andrea Gaudenzi in the quarter-finals of the Tel Aviv Open over the same duration. Nadal admitted returning to the court less than 24 hours after the gruelling encounter against Moya was tough. “I was a bit tired, but Mikhail played unbelievable tennis and deserved to win. He was the better player today. “But I am not very worried. I think I played quite well in this tournament and am happy to have reached the final in the first one of the season.—Agencies