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(CNN)Rafael Nadal says he is unsure if he will play at the Australian Open this month after suffering defeat in the opening round of the Qatar Open in Doha.
The world No. 3 was knocked out of the season opener by 34-year-old German qualifier Michael Berrer in a nearly two-hour match 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Nadal, who defeated Gael Monfils in the final 12 months ago, admitted to feeling nervous in his first tour match since his appendectomy last November.
“I played with more nerve than usual. I knew that winning a few games here will help me, so I play a little more under more tension,” said Nadal, the ATP Tour website reported.
His second defeat in a week – Nadal lost in straight sets to Andy Murray at an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi on January 3 – has cast doubt on his readiness for the season’s opening grand slam in Melbourne, which starts on January 19th.
“This is the third comeback of my career from injury so we’ll see how it goes in a few months. I wanted to start well but that wasn’t the case today,” said Nadal, reported Agence France-Presse.
“I also want to play in the Australian Open, a tournament that I like a lot. I don’t know if that will be the case either, but I will work for it. If not, I will play in Rio and Buenos Aires (ATP Tour clay court tournaments will be held in February).
“The season is long. After coming back from injury you can’t see the immediate moment, you have to look a little bit further ahead.”
After suffering a back injury in last year’s Australian Open final loss to Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka and missing the US Open in September with a wrist injury, Nadal could be forgiven for being cautious about his return.
Tsonga from Melbourne
While Nadal’s participation remains in doubt, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will definitely not feature in the Melbourne draw.
The 29-year-old Frenchman, who reached the final in 2008, is still recovering from an arm injury sustained during France’s defeat by Switzerland in the Davis Cup final last November.
“I am very disappointed that today I have to postpone the start of my season and withdraw from the Australian Open,” said Tsonga on Wednesday.
“I still suffer from an inflammation of the forearm (intersection syndrome) and this prevents me from being fully productive.”
There appear to be no such health concerns for world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who was forced to withdraw from the final against Murray in Abu Dhabi last weekend with a fever.
The Serb stormed through his opening game in Doha, beating compatriot Dusan Lajovic 6-2, 6-1 in 59 minutes.
Djokovic meets Ukraine’s Sergiy Stakhovsky in round two.
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