Melbourne (SID) – Despite persistent back problems, Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal is expecting a start at the Australian Open. “I don’t think about not playing,” said the Grand Slam record champion at a press conference on Sunday, even if the pain had been with him for 15 days. “I hope that I will be ready,” emphasized Nadal: “That’s all.”
The 34-year-old skipped the ATP Cup for Spain this week due to problems in the lower back. Nadal’s first round match at the Australian Open, which the 20-time major winner has only been able to win once (2009), is on Tuesday against the Serbian Laslo Djere.
“I’m training again. I’ve done a lot to recover, ”continued Nadal:“ It’s nothing serious, but the muscle is still tense, so it’s difficult to play with freedom of movement. Let’s hope the situation continues to improve. We do everything. My physio is here, the doctors here, they all help me in every possible way. “
Nadal had played his last official match so far in November in the semifinals of the ATP finals in London against the Russian Daniil Medvedev. Last week he defeated Austria’s US Open Champion Dominic Thiem in a show fight in Adelaide. At the Australian Open, Nadal wants to become the sole Grand Slam record winner with another triumph and then 21 victories. So far he has shared this title with Swiss Roger Federer, who is missing in Melbourne.