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Rafael Nadal to return from injury at Mubadala World Tennis Championship ahead of Australian Open
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Published 16/12/2021 at 14:04 GMT
"It has been a very a tough period of time for me" says Rafael Nadal as he gets ready to return from a troublesome foot injury to play at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The 20-time Grand Slam winner is hoping for a pain-free outing in Abu Dhabi before setting his sights on January's Australian Open.
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Rafael Nadal has not played in a competitive match since August, but is almost ready to make his return from injury.
The 35-year-old has been working his way back from a foot problem and will take on either Andy Murray on Friday at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
However, fans hoping to witness the high energy and power that they’ve been accustomed to seeing from Nadal over the years, may have to be patient.
“Let’s see. I need to try it in competition. Of course, I am feeling better, if not I will not be here. I know the comeback will be not easy. I don’t have big expectations now," he said ahead of the exhibition tournament.
“I am super happy to be back. It’s not about the pain. I had pain a lot of times during my career, almost all the time. It’s more about having the chance to have a pain that I can manage to compete well.”
After missing so much action, Nadal is longing to be involved in an on court battle for spectators to enjoy. He says his “only expectation is to be here, to play in front of a great crowd again, to feel myself competing again against great players, and then enjoy".
Regardless of how successful his return to the court in Abu Dhabi is, Nadal’s thoughts will quickly turn to preparations for the Australian Open, which gets underway in January.
Looking ahead to the Melbourne Grand Slam, Nadal says, “I really hope the foot is going to get better and better to be again at the level that I want to be. If I am able to play with no limitations, I want to fight again for everything, so that’s the goal”.
His first battle may well be to keep Novak Djokovic from going out in front as the leading men’s player of all time.
Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer are level on 20 Grand Slam titles each heading into the new season.
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Nadal – who previously said he expects Djokovic to finish his career ahead of him – knows fitness will be the key to keeping himself at the top of the game.
“It’s going to be super difficult for me. If things are going well, I’m only going to play one tournament before Australia.
“The amount of hours on court at the competitive level before such a tough and demanding tournament like Australia will be not much but the main thing is still always the same – be healthy," he said.
As he works his way back to full fitness, Nadal is defiant that his time competing isn’t over yet, and has left a warning for his rivals, boldly claiming, “If I am healthy, I still have the interior fire to keep going and to fight for my goals.”
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You can watch the 13th Mubadala World Tennis Championship live on Eurosport, the Eurosport app, eurosport.co.uk and stream it via discovery+
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