Rafael Nadal should focus on tennis rather than Ronaldo duel

Nadal has been out since Wimbledon (©GettyImages).

Fans of Rafael Nadal can be vindicated in feeling slightly frustrated at the moment, their hero hasn't been seen on-court since Wimbledon and he seems to be publicising his poker match with Ronaldo more than his return to action from wrist issues.

Now obviously a lot of famous sportsmen have various activities to complete for the companies they endorse, but maybe Nadal isn't sending-out the right messages considering his injury lay-off.

Return needed

In fact its not just fans of the Spaniard that are eager to see the return of the former world no.1, the US Open showed that the sport is weaker without the 14-time Grand Slam champion.

Simply put, tennis needs Rafael Nadal.

While fake helicopter stunts, practice poker matches against the general public and trash talking with Ronaldo are amusing for a minute, I'm sure I am not alone in wishing there were more videos of his injury rehabilitation.

It has been far too long since we have seen the 28-year-old with a racquet in hand, nobody wants to see the Ace of Spades in his clutches instead.

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Poker

Ronaldo finished his career a long time ago and is undoubtedly hungry for the attention, but like a naughty school child the former Real Madrid star could disrupt Nadal's return. While it probably isn't the case, some could get the impression that the Majorcan-born star isn't focused enough on getting fit and challenging to add to his already bulging trophy cabinet.

After all, there's a lot to be won for Nadal if he can reach the sky-high levels we have seen in the past.

With Andy Murray on an seemingly one-way slide down the rankings and Roger Federer struggling to win in the majors in his thirties, it leaves only Novak Djokovic as the superstar capable of stopping Nadal.

Plenty to win

Even the world no.1 faces doubts over his own future, his family life is about to get all the more exciting with the impending birth of his first child, and the Serbain would be forgiven if his game suffers.

Marin Cilic may have just won his maiden Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows, but he and the other surprising finalist, Kei Nishikori, will need more consistency to prove they can stay at the top.

After confirming his return to two China tournaments before the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, it would be fantastic to see Nadal hitting some on his trade-mark forearm smashes.

Perhaps he's just building suspense for everybody, lets hope so...