Exhausted Nadal pulls out of Stuttgart

AAP - July 8, 2008, 6:36 am

Rafael Nadal has pulled out of his title defence in Stuttgart the day after his Wimbledon win.

Newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal has pulled out of his title defence in Stuttgart the day after his epic final at the All England club.

"I haven't stopped playing for the past four to five months," said the world No.2, who toppled five-time champion Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (8-10) 9-7 on Sunday night.

"My plans for the immediate future are very simple - I just want to rest because I'm completely exhausted," added Nadal, who also won the French Open title by defeating the world number one.

"I admire him (Federer) a lot... It was great to win against him in Wimbledon, we'll see the significance of this victory once my career is over.

"My aim is still to become a better player, maybe my aim in the future will be to become the new world number one."

Nadal added that during his break he would "only be spending time with (his) doctor and physiotherapists".

Victory made the 22-year-old Nadal only the third man to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season, and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1980, while giving Spain its first men's champion here since Manolo Santana in 1966.