Rossi: Injury much worse than thought

Valentino Rossi admits that his shoulder injuries are worse than he initially feared although the Italian, who switches from the Yamaha to Ducati MotoGP team for 2011, is confident that he will be able to return in time for testing.

With just over two months to go under February testing begins in Malaysia, the clock continues to tick for Rossi although ‘The Doctor’ remains upbeat.

“I’m pretty bad and it’s very painful, but that’s normal in the days which follow an operation," he explained on Mediaset’s Italian evening television program Striscia la Notizia.

“I’m finding it difficult to sleep but the operation went well and everything’s how it should be; my arm is immobilised at the moment but the shoulder is expected to recover 100 percent – it’s now just a question of time.

“I have to be calm and patient while I wait. The shoulder was much worse than we thought and the operation itself lasted twice as long as planned; the tendons which we thought were just slightly affected were in fact completely damaged.

“Now I have a shoulder which is like new and I’m eager to try it out. I hope to be fit for February 1 – the first test of 2011 and my first ride for Ducati."