Rafael Nadal prepares for Mubadala Championships and the 2011 Australian Open
World Number 1 Rafael “Rafa” Nadal is training hard for the Mubadala World Tennis Championships, which will precede his campaign for a fourth consecutive Grand Slam title at the Australian Open next month.
The past year has been a remarkable one for the Spanish player, with many pundits referring to it as “the best year of his professional career”. He returned from a season of injuries, losses and disappointments to surpass all expectations and play
his best tennis yet. Rafa took three Grand Slam titles in a row this year, at Roland Garros, the All England Club and Flushing Meadows. The last victory was particularly significant as a milestone achievement, as Nadal had been chasing the ever elusive US
Open title for several years without success.
If Nadal wins the cup at Melbourne, he will be included in an elite group of players such as Rod Laver and Don Budge who held all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. The Spaniard understands the enormity of the situation, saying, “It’s an important
one, for sure, and that’s what I’m going to try. All Grand Slams are special tournaments but to win a tournament in Australia is great. I will take one game at a time. The first round is going to be very difficult so if I can win four in a row it will be a
special motivation further ahead.”
With players such as Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, Novak Djokvic and 122 others in the draw at the Rod Laver Arena, this year promises to be just as intense as 2010. Nadal agrees that maintaining his stupendous momentum will be a tricky task in the
upcoming season. However, he has promises to try his best, despite the fact that the 2011 might be a difficult year. Rafa’s philosophy can be easily summarized in the following lines: “Sometimes trying your best works like last year and sometimes it isn’t
like this. But I’ll enjoy every moment and keep fighting.”
His fitness has been a major issue since 2009, when he underwent such a bad patch that many tennis analysts believed that his career might be over. However, he returned to glory in 2010, and defeated Robin Soderling in the Abu Dhabi title match to
win the event. However, the Spaniard seems to be sincerely invested in enjoying the sport; he says, “For me it’s a pleasure to be here in Abu Dhabi. It’s the perfect place to start the new season. Just try my best and play well. All the players here are good
so it’s very well if I had a chance to be in the final.”
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