s team." The left-footed midfielder has captained the national side in the past and is widely considered a future full-time leader for his country. A strong

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- In a severe blow to the Netherlands World Cup hopes, midfielder Kevin Strootman looks certain to miss the tournament in Brazil because of a serious knee injury. AS Roma said Monday that the 24-year-old Strootman will undergo surgery after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and possibly damaging the meniscus in his left knee during Sundays 1-0 loss at Napoli. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said in a statement he talked to the injured midfielder by phone. "I can imagine his world is falling apart at the moment," Van Gaal said, adding that Strootmans loss "is also a blood-letting for the Netherlands team." The left-footed midfielder has captained the national side in the past and is widely considered a future full-time leader for his country. A strong tackler, he is also comfortable bringing the ball forward in attack. Strootman has played 25 times for the Dutch national side as a midfield enforcer, scoring three times. He was one of only a handful of players virtually guaranteed a place in Van Gaals World Cup squad. "Kevin played a major role in our qualification for the World Cup in Brazil," Van Gaal said. The 2010 runners-up have been drawn to play defending champion Spain, Chile and Australia at the World Cup. BARCELONA, Spain - Rafael Nadal has been released from a Barcelona hospital, two days after undergoing surgery to remove his appendix.Nadal briefly spoke to waiting media as he walked out of the Quiron Teknon hospital on Wednesday.The tennis star attempted to play through suspected appendicitis last month. He tried to treat the conditioon with antibiotics before opting for surgery.ddddddddddddNadals appendix was removed on Monday using laparoscopy or key-hole surgery, a hospital statement said.Doctors said Nadal could return to full training after about a month of post-operation recovery.Because of the surgery, Nadal will miss the ATP Finals in London. ' ' '