Nadal: 'I Need To Keep Competing'

Rafael Nadal arrived in New York last Sunday to prepare for the US Open, which begins on 29 August at Flushing Meadows. The Mallorcan, who returned to the ATP World Tour in Cincinnati after overcoming a left wrist injury, goes into the tournament excited after his time on the sidelines.

“I need to keep competing and training,” explained Nadal in an interview with EL ESPAÑOL. “I went a long time without training. That’s the reality. I think that is what I need at the moment.”

The 14-time Grand Slam champion had to withdraw from the third round at Roland Garros due to a left wrist injury, which caused him to miss several tournaments including Wimbledon.

“My wrist is fine,” said Nadal. “It has held up through many hours of playing. I know I’m going to have some trouble and, in some moments, it will limit me a bit. I need to get my confidence back and get through a few weeks without playing in pain, something that hasn’t happened yet.

“It never gets easier to come back,”said Nadal, who has overcome serious injuries to his foot and knees earlier in his career. “I was playing very well when I had to stop in the third round at Roland Garros. You remember the things that you were doing well. The bad thing, of course, is that I had to stop in a moment when I was doing well and which could have helped me have a great season, especially after a good clay-court swing.

“The injury I had is very complicated and delicate,” he said. “There are two possibilities: either it gets better with rest or you have to operate. At the moment, it seems everything has gone well, but at the same time it could have turned out differently and I might have had to stop for surgery. I hope things keep going well. So far, after many hours of loading the wrist, it hasn’t gotten worse. This is important and very positive. I hope that day by day and week by week the wrist will keep feeling more comfortable and I will feel freer when hitting the ball.”

Nadal arrives at the US Open hoping for a good tournament despite not enjoying the same competitive rhythm as his rivals.

“Clearly, I’m arriving with little match practice after an injury in the middle of the season,” said Nadal. “All this makes it more difficult. But the excitement is there. I hope my wrist will keep improving, so that it lets me play my forehand more freely.  I am really excited to get back to competing. I feel competitive again. I’m really looking forward to playing and enjoying being on the court.”