Dwindling clay events put Rafa Nadal's nose out of joint

Rafael Nadal wants tournament organisers to maintain the tradition of clay courts on the tour and said the growing number of events switching to harder surfaces could increase the injury risk to players long after they finish their careers.

Nadal, who won his first title of the year with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Juan Monaco in a rain-interrupted Argentine Open on Sunday, said it was also important to maintain variety on the tour to keep players and spectators interested.

The Argentine Open, now in its 15th year and a regular stop on the South American clay-court swing, has flirted with the idea of a change to a faster surface to widen its appeal.

"Clay is a traditional surface of our sport, we need to protect that," Nadal said after his victory over Argentine Monaco at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.

"Sport is bigger when you combine new and show events with traditional events.

"We are changing more and more tournaments from clay to hard surfaces, but the hard surface is more aggressive so there are more and more injuries," said the 28-year-old, who played only seven matches in the second half of 2014 after recovering from a wrist injury and appendicitis.

"You can check on the tour [statistics] that many players have injuries, so there is something we are doing badly, [and for] the people who manage [tennis], that is not right.

"In my opinion, it's important to be healthy not only during your career, but also afterwards because you have a life outside tennis and after your career," added Nadal, whose win was his first since a record ninth French Open crown last June.