20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal makes his eagerly awaited return to the tennis court this week as he is set to compete at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi. The former World No 1 has been suffering with a foot injury which forced him to miss the Olympics and Wimbledon Championships. His last competitive match was his loss to Lloyd Harris in Washington in August, which resulted in him pulling out of the US Open due to the recurrence of the injury.

The exhibition event in Abu Dhabi has been dominated by Nadal in recent years and he won the tournament the last time it was held in 2019. The Spanish great has received a bye into the semi-finals and is set to meet either Andy Murray or Dan Evans on Friday. The all-British quarter final between Murray & Evans will be an interesting matchup with both players looking to finish the year on a high.

Former Wimbledon Champion Nadal is hoping to build up his fitness ahead of the Australian Open in January. The first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne will give the Spaniard an opportunity to claim his 21^st major title and move one clear of great rivals Roger Federer & Novak Djokovic.

“Rafael Nadal” by Doha Stadium Plus is licensed under CC BY 2.0.