Shoulder is fine- Hopeful Nadal Insists

Rafael Nadal came up just for long enough at a sponsor's event ahead of the Australian Open Tennis on Thursday to declare the sore left shoulder he has carried into the new season was "good" and that he was "hopefully" ready for the year's first grand slam.

The former world number one, cosseted by an attendance of public relations people and sponsors officials, cut a slightly dejected figure as he gritted his teeth to smile for cameras outside of Rod Laver Arena on a drizzly day in Melbourne.

"My shoulder is good," the 10-time grand slam champion told a clutch of reporters, whose attempts at further questions were thwarted by handlers. "Hopefully (I am ready). I will try my best."

With that, the 2009 champion was ushered into a courtesy car and whisked away from the stadium where his bid to hold all four grand slams at once ended last year with a painful leg injury and a straight sets defeat to David Ferrer in the quarter-finals.