FORMER World No 1 Rafael Nadal, who retired injured during his Australian Open quarter-final in January, says he is fit for the Indian Wells tournament which gets underway in California on Wednesday.
"I have been training hard for three weeks. We have worked during the pre-season to recover the form which I had when I arrived in Australia. I feel strong and my knees do not hurt me. Now I just want to compete," the Spaniard said in an interview published in sports daily AS.
"My main objective, the most immediate goal, is to play well during the American claycourt season. I have 1,000 points to defend at Indian Wells as the defending champion," the 23-year-old added.
Nadal, who is currently ranked third in the ATP world rankings, was trailing Andy Murray in their Australian Open quarter-final when he retired due to recurrent knee troubles.
He missed Spain's Davis Cup victory over Swizerland at the weekend due to the injury but said he would like to take part in the July 9-11 quarter-final against France.
Spain is bidding to win its third straight Davis Cup title.
The Indian Wells tournament, which annually draws most of the world's top men and women tennis players, will run until March 22.
The attendance for the two-week event last year was 330,000, ranking it behind only the four Grand Slam tournaments.
AFP
Rafael Nadal looking to perform well in California after being forced to retire in the Australian Open in January. Picture: EPA epa02006173 Rafael Nadal of Spain during his match against Andy Murray of Great Britain in the men's singles quarterfinals at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, 26 January 2010. EPA/John Donegan Pool
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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