Tennis

Newly crowned Wimbledon Champion Rafael Nadal made the short journey to southern Germany on Monday, with the 22 year-old Spaniard still clearly on a high less than a day after claiming his maiden Wimbledon men's singles title.Nadal defeated World number one and five-time former champion Roger Federer in the final on Sunday evening, with the epic match the longest in the tournaments history - lasting four hour and 48 minutes - and already regarded by some as the best ever men's final at the All England Lawn-Tennis and Croquet club.

The four-time French Open champion was in town to personally announce his withdrawal from the Stuttgart Cup and also to apologise to event organisers for his failure to defend the title he won last season."Well I am disappointed for me this year," Nadal said. "I can't play here in Stuttgart as I was playing in Wimbledon for the last couple of weeks. The calendar this year is terrible, its very very tough and I have a problem in the second round against (Ernests) Gulbis, I go down and I have a little bit of a problem behind the knee.

During all of Wimbledon I had problems a little bit. "Yesterday during the match I go down...I fell down. And I spoke with my doctor and my doctor says I need some days off and right now I have to check and I have to go to the doctor and check everything because last year I came here, I won the tournament and it was a very good tournament for me but at the same time I have problems in the knee for a long time. "After Wimbledon I have the problems here so I would prefer to be 100% sure of what I have and just come back to the court when I feel 100%."After emerging victorious from a hard fought four hour and 48 minute battle, which is already being regarded as the greatest Wimbledon final in the tournaments history, Nadal - the four-time French Open champion - was quick to assert that life, and work, will go on as normal."Well it probably was one of the more important matches of my career.

The tennis and the life and the career continue after that so, my career doesn't change after my victory yesterday. I just want to continue work like always. My goal always is to be a better player than before and continuing to improve and work hard for to improve my tennis and all of this I am going to have chances for continuing being in the top positions and winning titles."