World No.5 Rafael Nadal has spoken to the media in the Philippines about the factors which makes him want to improve as a player.
Nadal will make his debut at this year’s International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) on Monday for the Micromax Indian Aces at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Manila. Ahead of the IPTL, the 9-time Grand Slam held a training session with young tennis players in the city of Makati. Alongside his coach Toni Nadal, the pair conducted their first ever training session in the country at the Colegio de San Agustin Tennis Courts.
Whilst at the centre, Nadal spoke to the media during a brief press conference. The Spaniard talked about his desire to continuously improve his game.
“I just want to improve my level of tennis – year by year, day by day,” said Nadal.
“It’s true that having great players in front of you sometimes helps you see how much you need to improve, but at the same time, my motivation is always personal,” he added.
This year, Nadal has experienced a mixed performance on the tour after slipping to 10th in the world in June, his lowest position since 2005. Nevertheless the 29-year-old has ended 2015 on a positive note with a convincing performance at the ATP World Tour Finals in London when he reached the semifinals. During the group stage he defeated world No.2 Andy Murray. Murray was the highest ranked player that Nadal has beaten since Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2014 French Open. Throughout this year the Spaniard has spoken openly about his confidence issues. During his training workshop in Makati, Nadal spoke about the importance of having a strong team around him when discussing advice for young players.
“It is important to enjoy the sport, but it’s also important to have the right people around you.” Nadal said.
The Indian Aces will play the UAE Royals at 0800 GMT on Monday. It is yet to be confirmed which sets Nadal will be playing in the unique format. He could face off against Tomas Berdych in the men’s singles. Nadal has played the Czech 23 times on the ATP Tour, winning 19 of their encounters.
