Rafael Nadal’s confirms his return to the courts of Abu Dhabi – Tennis News
Spaniard Rafael Nadal has announced his return to competitive tennis by confirming his participation in the Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament.
Nadal had been out with an injury he picked up in the middle of 2012. Previously, the Spaniard was doubtful about his return to the tournament as he was uncertain of his knee recovery, saying that he will only play if he is fully fit.
The former world number one had not stepped on to the courts from the past six months. He suffered from the a surprising shocker at the hands of Czech participant, Lukas Rosol in the second round of the Wimbledon Grand Slam Champions. Furthermore, he was
unable to defend his title at the London 2012 Olympics, as he had to bow out of the Games due to the pertaining injury.
In an interview, Nadal said, “Can’t wait to get back on court in Abu Dhabi. I won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in 2010 and 2011 - would love to get my hands on the trophy again this year! I won't come back worrying about my knee. We are in the
last stage of the recovery and I want to recover as soon as possible but I will not rush back and then have to stop again in six months or a year's time. I have the goal of returning in Abu Dhabi but neither Abu Dhabi nor Australia are the end of the world
for me.”
The left-hander was the finalist at the Australian Open 2012 held at the hard courts of Melbourne. He battled through all the rounds, rallying past his opponents in straight sets. He handed over a four set defeat to the Czech rival, Tomas Berdych, in the
quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, he outmuscled the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer in a tough four set match. He was paired against the reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic, in the final who eventually came out the winner against the Spaniard.
It will be too early to say if Nadal will be at the same level in the upcoming 2013 Australian Open Grand Slam tournament as he has been out of competitive tennis for quite long. In the recent past, he enlightened his fans that he will return to the clay
court season in April 2013 and will surely try to add one more Roland Garros trophy to his cabinet.
The Spaniard’s withdrawal unquestionably proved to be good news for his rivals. Let’s see how well he fares in the upcoming Abu Dhabi tournament and then later on in the 2013 season.
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