Milan: World No.1 Rafael Nadal will be fit for the ATP Finals in London next week despite concerns over the state of the Spaniard’s knee, his coach Carlos Moya said Thursday.
Nadal, 31, pulled out of the Paris Masters before his quarterfinal match last week after experiencing discomfort in his right knee during his third round win over Pablo Cuevas. It raised fears the 16-time Grand Slam champion could miss the season-ender.
Moya had better news though. “Rafa is fine, the knee is okay,” the former World No.1 said here after taking part in a coaching workshop at the Next Gen ATP Finals. “He stopped just to take no risks. Rafa will be competitive in London because it’s the only big tournament he hasn’t won.”
Nadal silenced the naysayers this year by returning from an injury-plagued 2016 to win the French Open for a 10th time before taking the US Open crown. It helped him secure the year-end No.1 ranking for the fourth time, nearly a decade after he first achieved it.
Moya, who began working with his fellow Mallorcan a year ago, said Nadal’s feats this year had not surprised him. “I expected Rafa to be No.1 again,” he said. “I‘m not surprised because I’ve seen him training as usual with lot of passion. His tennis and his mind have taken him to No.1.”
Nadal is due to start his ATP Finals challenge Monday against Belgium’s David Goffin. He also has Bulgarian debutant Grigor Dimitrov and Austrian Dominic Thiem in his group.
reuters
