Rafael Nadal is confident he’s going to be “very competitive” in the new season as he looks to step up his level and leave behind a challenging 2015.
The Spaniard, who struggled on the court for large parts of last season yet still managed to finish the year ranked No5 in the world, will ring the New Year in Abu Dhabi this weekend, where he’ll face either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or David Ferrer in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship semi-finals on Friday.
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Accompanied by his team and family, including his young cousins who attended his press conference in the UAE capital, Nadal was beaming with positivity when he addressed reporters at Zayed Sports City on Thursday.
“The mentality is the same like every year. I don’t know if I’ll start well from the beginning but I feel ready,” said the Spanish 14-time grand slam champion.
“Then the results you never know what’s going on. But I feel that I’m doing the right things, I’m playing well and I hope to start with good feelings. But you never know.
“I’m going to be passionate. The way that I am playing or the way that I’m practicing, the most important thing is to compete the way that I’m practicing and if I’m able to make that happen, I don’t know if it’s going to be from the beginning or later, but I’m confident that I’m going to be very competitive.”
Nadal, 29, says he had a great offseason in Mallorca and is excited to get back on the court.
He flies to Doha after Abu Dhabi for his official season curtain-raiser, before heading to Australia, first to Sydney for an exhibition Fast 4 tennis event, then Melbourne for the opening major of the year.
The Mallorcan will be joined by world No1 Novak Djokovic in the draw in Doha and Nadal is hoping he will have a say in how dominant the Serb will be this season.
Djokovic has had an incredible 2015 where he made the final of every tournament he played in barring one, and has captured three of the four slams.
Asked if expects Djokovic to be as dominant in 2016, Nadal said: “We’ll see in a couple of months. What Novak has been doing the last couple of years is just amazing and we have to congratulate him for that.
Rafa Nadal: I dont know if I’ll start well from the beginning but I feel ready #MWTC2016 @MubadalaTennis pic.twitter.com/YZ0bw5Q9DE
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 31, 2015
“If he is able to maintain that kind of level then only thing that you can say is applaud him. That’s it. The rest of the players we work hard and I hope to be competitive enough to compete against everybody this year, including Novak, and we’ll see if I can make that happen.”
Nadal also has one eye on the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, especially considering he missed the previous Games in London 2012 through injury.
The Spaniard won singles gold in Beijing 2008 and hopes to maximise his chances of winning a medal for his country in eight months’ time.
Nadal says partnering with Garbine Muguruza or Carla Suarez Navarro in mixed doubles is a “possibility” but that it is not his call to make.
“I’m going to try to play as much as I can in the Olympics. I don’t know if it’s going to be my last Olympics or not, you never what’s going on in the future. So I want to enjoy as much as I can. 2012 I missed it for a knee injury so it was a tough moment. This year I hope to be ready for Rio and I want to compete as much as I can,” he says.
“For sure it’s possible (to play with Carla or Gabrine). I want to play as much as I can so mixed is another opportunity. We have a captain, that is Conchita Martinez, she’s the captain for the men and the women. So in terms of mixed I will let her decide what’s the best option for our country to try to have a medal.”
