Ahead of his first appearance at an event since his loss to Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal has sounded a warning to his rivals at the China Open in Beijing.
"My motivation is always high," said the Spaniard, who has been out for three months with persistent pain in his right wrist.
And that motivation seems to be particularly high when he is coming back after an injury break, as he showed on his return from career-threatening injuries in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2012.
Traditionally, however, Nadal has not done as well in the post-US Open period of the season. Only four of his 64 career titles have come during this period – the 2008 Olympics, Beijing (2005), Madrid (2005) and Tokyo (2010).
Nadal is aware of this fact and will be hoping to do better in the remaining five events on his 2014 schedule – Beijing, the Shanghai Masters, Swiss Indoors, the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals.
“This part of the season has always been a little bit difficult for me, and it will be for sure even more this year after stopping for three months at the middle of the season,” he said in Beijing, where he could meet Novak Djokovic in the final, and where he is playing doubles, as well, to get back into groove.
“But the last part of the season remains.”
That sounded a bit like a warning to the rest. The wrist is not 100 per cent yet, but Nadal is back and he is determined to make up for lost time.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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