Paris (AFP)
Spaniard Rafael Nadal said Monday that he aims to return to the court in December by participating in the Abu Dhabi exhibition, in preparation for the Australian Open early next year.
The 35-year-old said Monday in Paris during a promotional campaign for one of the sponsoring companies: My goal is to participate in Abu Dhabi in December, then in another tournament and then the Australian Open. This is my goal and we are working very hard to achieve it. Nadal won the Australian Championship in 2009 and lost in the final four times after that.
The Spaniard may compete in the Australian Championship in the absence of a number of great competitors, led by Serbian Novak Djokovic, who revealed on Sunday that he will decide whether to defend the first Grand Slam title, when an official decision is made regarding the rules surrounding the players and the anti-virus “Covid-19” vaccine. .
There have been conflicting messages about who will be allowed to play in next year’s first major tournament, which runs from January 17-30 in Melbourne. An email leaked last week from the WTA indicated that unvaccinated female players will be allowed to compete on the condition of a 14-day quarantine and regular testing for the coronavirus.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison then said he would allow unvaccinated players into the country if they received an exemption, which host state Victoria will have to file on behalf of the players. But Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews quickly dismissed that.
Nadal did not address this issue on Monday, because all he is currently interested in is returning to the courts, which he has moved away from since his exit from the Roland Garros semi-finals at the hands of Djokovic in June.
The Spaniard tried to return in August by participating in the Washington tournament, but his foot injury worsened in the match, which he won over American Jack Sock in three sets, which contributed to his loss in his next match against South African Lloyd Harris.
On Monday, Nadal said he was looking forward to returning, but “I don’t know exactly when I will be back. But I can say that my goal is to try to come back in Abu Dhabi in December, and then start the new season of course in January.”
He revealed that the injury to my foot needs to be improved a bit, but I started exercising for about an hour and a half a day, and therefore this is a positive thing. Some days things are better than others, but the positive days are starting to become more than the negative ones. So, I’m on the right track.”
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