"He wants to work backwards from the French Open": Andy Roddick states Rafael Nadal only aimed for Australian Open with eye on clay

Rafael Nadal's efforts to play the Australian Open was solely to work backwards and play the French Open with every decision surrounding his twilight heading towards the clay court season according to former US Open champion, Andy Roddick.

Nadal's MRI has returned with the back issue not posing enough of a threat going forward to be worried and so he can return at the Monte-Carlo Masters in early April. He was also seen days after withdrawing from Indian Wells back home kicking clay off his shoes showing that he was well underway with his preparation.

With Nadal's ability on clay, the decision to aim for clay has been one that has been mooted all along with many seeing it as puzzling that he even tried to play Australia or Indian Wells.

But Roddick says it was all part of a further plan in order to get himself prepared for the clay and working backwards. Similar to Naomi Osaka, it is about peaking at the right point of the season and having the plan to do so albeit unlike the former World No.1 in the WTA, Nadal hasn't got many match reps in at all. But he is very much likely to play a lot during the clay court season with Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Barcelona his likely route in the coming months before Paris meaning that he will be really tested physically and his schedule will be burgeoning.

“He wanted to go down to January, get some match reps in, not because he thought he could win the Australian Open but great if he finds something but because he wants to work backwards from the French Open,” Roddick said.

“Every single decision that he has made from this point forward and probably 15 months has been let's work backwards from the possibility of playing Roland Garros that didn't work out Last year we didn't see him until the new year started."