Rafael Nadal insists he still has a few years left in him to compete on the professional tour as he prepares to launch yet another comeback from injury.
The Spanish star had to pull the plug early on his 2016 season following an opening round loss in Shanghai in October to fully recover from a wrist problem he first sustained during the French Open in May.
The injury-prone 30-year-old will commence his Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) title defence on Thursday against Tomas Berdych at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and is hoping to recapture his previous form that saw him win 14 grand slam trophies and top the world rankings.
MWTC ambassador Pat Cash had voiced his fears over Nadal’s future in the game saying this could be the last chance the Abu Dhabi crowd get to see him in action live but the Mallorcan feels otherwise.
“It’s not my idea. My idea is to stay here for a few more years and I feel motivated enough to be here not only this year and I believe that I can compete for important things in the next few years,” Nadal told reporters at Al Maryah Island’s Galleria mall on Wednesday.
“I love the game, I love what I’m doing, I feel happy and I’m able to play without big pressure because I’ve done everything in my career, I just have the passion to keep going and that’s my main goal.”
Nadal will be making his eighth appearance at the MWTC and can lift a fourth title in the UAE capital this Saturday. He is not looking beyond his opener against Berdych on Thursday though and is keeping his expectations in check for the early stages of the 2017 season.
.@RafaelNadal excited ahead of the defence of his @MubadalaTennis title pic.twitter.com/BPWmPeMomA
— Sport360° (@Sport360) December 28, 2016
“I don’t expect anything. I just want to work hard to be ready for competition. I know in the beginning it is always tough when you stay months away from competition, for sure I’m not going to arrive here playing fantastic from the beginning because you need to have matches to find your rhythm,” said Nadal, who will play his first official tournament of the year in Brisbane.
“But I think have been working very well and have been working again on things that I haven’t worked on for a couple of years because the knees didn’t allow me so I was able to do it during this offseason and that’s something that can bring me very positive results, I don’t know from the beginning but long-term for sure.”
Nadal has added Carlos Moya to his team, to work alongside his uncle, Toni Nadal, and Francis Roig. Moya will also be involved in Nadal’s academy in Mallorca, the island they both are from.
After many years working with the same team set-up, did Nadal find it a necessity to bring in a new voice to the mix?
“No it’s not essential, it’s something that we believe can help and sometimes it’s good at the same time to have somebody from outside to help us to do some different things and I’m happy to practice with Toni, Francis and Carlos. We are doing the right things and we are working so hard and we have the right motivation to try to recover the level that happened before I got injured,” said Nadal.
“He’s a good person more than anything. He’s a good friend. For me it’s important to have people around me that I’m sure they want the best for me. It’s not a business, it’s a relationship and with Carlos I’m sure of that. So he knows me very well, he knows the world of tennis and I’m sure we can do good things.”
.@andy_murray and @RafaelNadal play some tennis on the bridge on Al Maryah Island #abudhabi #MWTC (photos via @MubadalaTennis) pic.twitter.com/7J88UHy49O
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 28, 2016
Nadal’s team is not the only thing that has seen a shake-up. The Spaniard has made changes to his schedule as well and he will start his season in Brisbane for the first time, instead of his usual choice of Doha.
He is also skipping the golden clay swing in South American in February and will be playing on indoor hard-courts in Rotterdam instead, returning to the Dutch tournament for the first time since 2009.
Asked why he won’t be returning to the Rio Open in Brazil, he said: “I feel healthy, that’s the important thing, I feel the knees aren’t suffering now, hopefully they keep going like this. That’s why I’m able to not play on clay.
“The weather conditions there, the tournament is great, but in my opinion the dates are not the ideal ones. The weather conditions there are so extreme. Rio is a great event but I think it will be much better if it is held at a different date.
“Every year it happens, a lot of people retire, they get dehydrated, it happened to me a couple of times… and the most important thing for me is to enjoy, have fun, feel healthy when you’re playing. And I feel sometimes that the weather conditions don’t give me the chance to enjoy.”
