Abu Dhabi test vital for return: Nadal

Spaniard will be making 1st appearance in competitive event since his shock second-round exit at Wimbledon last June.

Former world number one Rafael Nadal believes that the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi that begins on December 28 would be the perfect event for him to make his highly-anticipated comeback to tennis after injury.

The Spaniard will be making his first appearance in a competitive event since his shock second-round exit at Wimbledon last June. “Coming back from injury will be tough but the Mubadala World Tennis Championship is exactly the test I need for my game and my fitness,” Nadal told Sport360.

“Every time I play, I give my 100 per cent and try to win and it will be no different in Abu Dhabi. After this long period away from competition with all these months of rehabilitation and now hard practice, I am excited to see the moment to play again is close. I can’t wait to get back on centre court.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2012.