After recent speculation Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will begin his return to competitive tennis in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
The former world No.1 is a five-time champion of the exhibition event which will feature six players in the men’s tournament. It will be the first time the Spaniard has played since August after being sidelined from the Tour due to a foot injury. Nadal suffers from Muller-Weiss syndrome which is a degenerative disease that causes a deformity of one of the bones in the central part of the foot. He underwent treatment on his foot a couple weeks ago in Barcelona but not surgery.
“Abu Dhabi is a special place for me, a place where I have been many times and where I started my seasons many times.” Nadal said in a press release.
“Ever since I first came to Abu Dhabi, I’ve had a great response from the fans and I am sure the atmosphere is going to be special as always.”
During a recent promotional event in Paris, the 20-time Grand Slam champion said he wanted to play in the Middle East event to help tune up his game ahead of the Australian Open which starts on January 17th. Due to his foot issue, Nadal has only played two Tour matches since his semi-final loss to Novak Djokovic at the French Open.
“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,” Nadal told reporters in the French capital earlier this week.
“I’m training, I’m feeling better. I’m back on the court,” he added.
Nadal is the fourth male player to confirm his attendance at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Dominic Thiem, who has been sidelined from action in recent months due to a right wrist injury, is also set to begin his comeback at the tournament. Meanwhile, Norway’s Casper Ruud and Canada’s Denis Shapovalov Join the lineup. There will also be a women’s match taking place between Olympic champion Belinda Bencic and US Open winner Emma Raducanu.
The event will be held at the International Tennis Centre, at Zayed Sports City from 16-18 December.
