Rafael Nadal was diagnosed with early stages of appendicitis, but the Spanish tennis superstar said in a Shanghai Masters 2014 schedule interview that he is planning to play through pain.
Nadal, who is working his way back after a long layoff due to a wrist injury, felt severe pain in his abdomen starting Saturday and test confirmed his condition.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion decided against undergoing surgery, though, saying that he will try treating the appendicitis with antibiotics because he wants to play at the 2014 Shanghai Masters, but he admitted that he will not be as effective as he can be in the tournament.
"I am not going to go for surgery," Nadal said in a Shanghai Masters 2014 schedule update via ESPN. "That's great news for me today. That's why I'm here practicing for 45 minutes, and trying to play tomorrow. But obviously I am not in my best condition."
Nadal said that he plans to fly to Spain immediately after his stint in the Shanghai tournament to talk to his personal doctor before deciding on whether or not he will undergo surgery to treat his mild appendicitis, which could put him on the sidelines again for several weeks.
"My idea is take it out, but you can imagine that I didn't (think) much about that yet. I am here in Shanghai. I just want to try. Then when I go back home, I will talk about the situation with my doctor," Nadal said.
The 2014 Shanghai Masters will just be Nadal's second tournament since losing to Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round of the 2014 Wimbledon. He missed his title defense at the 2014 US Open after sustaining a wrist injury before making his return to competitive tennis at the China Open earlier this month.
Nadal lost to Martin Klizan in the quarterfinals, but the 28-year-old Spaniard said that he is not worrying about the result of the Beijing tournament.
"I don't expect anything from these two tournaments. I expect just to come here and play again and practice and feel a little bit again the competition, try to get in rhythm as soon as possible," Nadal stressed in a Shanghai Masters 2014 schedule news.
