Rafael Nadal admits he was not well-prepared for his match against David Ferrer on Friday in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and says his pre-season training was delayed by treatment he underwent on his knee.
The Spaniard, who missed seven months in 2012 due to a serious knee injury, managed to storm back in 2013 by winning 10 titles including two Grand Slams but needed further treatment on the joint.
Nadal, making his first appearance following the post-season break, lost to Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, which was the world No1’s second defeat to his good friend in Abu Dhabi.
It was Ferrer who capitalised on two of his four break point opportunities to earn a break in each set while Nadal was unable to convert either of his two break chances.
“I think for the first match, playing against a player who has already practiced for almost a month at 100 per cent and he had a match yesterday, and in very fast conditions – one of the quickest courts that I’ve played on; I’m quite happy with the way that I played,” Nadal said.
“I had opportunities, I had break points, I had a few chances but he converted his better than me.
“After the end of the season, I worked a little bit on my knee, had treatment, and I’m happy the way that treatment is working, that’s the most important thing for me.
“I’m feeling better but I had to practice very slow at the beginning. So I just practiced a bit harder, not at 100 per cent, just for the last week. That’s not a big period of time to be 100 per cent ready to compete against No3 in the world.”
Nadal, who takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third-place playoff today before his flies to Doha, explained the treatment is not an ongoing process.
“I improved with the last treatment. I finished the season a little bit tired and a little bit of pain. But the main goal, which was to finish the season, was done. The treatment is not continuous, it’s just one time and it’s over,” added Nadal.
Novak Djokovic has the chance to seal a third straight title today after reaching the final with a straight sets win over Jo-Wilfired Tsonga. He takes on a different type of beast today in the form of Ferrer, who is renowned for his impressive returns and his retrieving abilities.
“The positive thing about this tournament is that I get to play against the top players in the world and I played against a powerful server a player who comes to the net and plays aggressive tennis. David is a different player, but a great quality player.
“I think he improved very much with his hard court game, staying closer to the line and he played very well against Rafa,” said Djokovic.
