20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal says he is currently having more positive days than negative ones as he aims to begin his return to competitive tennis next month.
The former world No.1 hasn’t played on the Tour since the Washington Open in August due to a left foot injury which he underwent treatment on back in September. Nadal suffers from Muller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease that causes a deformity of one of the bones in the central part of the foot. He has avoided having surgery on his foot in recent times to address the problem.
Attending a Babolat promotional event in Paris on Monday, the 35-year-old told reporters that he is aiming to play at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi next month. An exhibition event which he has won a record five times since the competition was created back in 2009. The tournament usually consists of six players in the men’s competition, as well as two female players playing a separate match.
“I don’t know exactly when I’ll be back,” Nadal said on Monday.
“But I can say that my goal is to try to come back to Abu Dhabi in December, and then, of course, for the start of the new season in January.”
Nadal is hoping to be able to use Abu Dhabi as a tune-up event ahead of the Australian Open which he hasn’t won for more than a decade. He is currently continuing his rehabilitation in Spain and believes he is making good progress with his foot on the court. Nadal says he is ‘on the right track’ and is now increasing the length of his training sessions.
“The injury in my foot still needs to get a little better, but I’m already training almost an hour and a half a day so that’s positive. Some days are better than others, but I’m starting to have a lot more positive days than negative ones. So I’m on the right track,” he said.
“I’m training, I’m feeling better. I’m back on the court.”
Prior to his injury setback, Nadal achieved a win-loss record of 24-5 this season, winning two ATP titles in Rome and Barcelona on his beloved clay. Besides his run to the last four of the French Open, he also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Thiem also eyeing a return in Abu Dhabi
Another player who has been sidelined from the Tour in recent weeks is Dominic Thiem due to a right wrist injury. The former US Open champion originally hoped to return to action during the final quarter of this season but a setback in his recovery process prevented him from doing so.
Instead, the world No.12 has become the third player to officially confirm that he will play in the Middle East exhibition next month along with Casper Ruud and Denis Shapovalov. The event will be the first time Thiem has played a competitive match since the Mallorca Open in June which is where he suffered his wrist injury.
“I was keen to find the right opportunity to make my return to the court and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship comes at a great time,” Thiem said via an official press release. “The Championship offers the perfect environment to continue my comeback and play against the top guys on tour.”
This week the 28-year-old fell out of the world’s top 10 for the first time since May 2016. During what has been a rollercoaster 2021, Thiem won just nine out of 18 Tour matches played. Only once in seven tournaments played did he manage to reach the semi-finals, which was back in May at the Madrid Open. He also lost in the first round of the French Open which was his worst ever result at the Grand Slam.
The Mubadala World Tennis Championship will take place between December 16-18 at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Centre.
