Rafael Nadal has not played since losing to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon.  He skipped the Olympics and the US Open.  There is some chance he could play the year end championship, but Rafa stated his goals were to be healthy by the Australian Open though he’s not sure whether that will happen or not.

Rafa had been on anti-inflammatories which helped him get through the French Open.  Rafa said he did not practice well for Wimbledon but he had been playing so well up to that point that he wanted to give it a try.

He has complained, in the past, that hard courts aggravate his knee.

The implications are that the other top players, Federer, Djokovic, and Murray now have one less obstacle to win a Slam.