Nadal feeling 'not great' as back injury threatens to derail his Australian Open

Back soreness is still bothering Rafael Nadal as he prepares for the Australian Open.The No. 2-ranked Nadal likes everything to line up perfectly, and he admitted on the eve of the year's first major "the whole positive feelings that I had" last week after coming out of 14-day quarantine "now disappeared a little bit." Nadal is trying to win his 21st Grand Slam singles title, which would give him sole ownership of the men's record. He equaled Roger Federer on 20 last October when he won at Roland Garros, his 13th French Open title.

But the back problem is causing him uncertainty and caused him to sit out the ATP Cup at Melbourne Park, where he was little more than a spectator as Spain, last year's runners-up, lost in the semifinals. Nadal is on the bottom half of the Australian Open men's draw and is scheduled to play his first-round match against Laslo Djere of Serbia on Tuesday.

(Image Credit: AP)