Rafael Nadal - No Tennis In February

But i'll play a meaningless tournament in Abu Dhabi!

Rafa, what are you doing?  You already have a warm up tournament for The Australian Open (Doha).  If the shoulder is so bad that you feel the need to take a month off now, in DECEMBER then why oh why are you here.

It makes it very difficult to listen to his argument about the schedule when situations like this arise.  It is also very frustrating to see him go onto court with the whole world knowing he is not 100%.  I feel he is setting himself up for another fall.  He will be playing "catch-up" with his body even before the season has started.

Silly Rafa!  Here is a news report on the issue:

ESPN