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Rafael Nadal will hit the road again, only days after playing the World Tour Finals, with the Spaniard content to rest his dodgy knees only after playing in a series of big-money exhibitions in the Western hemisphere. |
The Spaniard, who went down 6-3, 6-4 in London to Novak Djokovic and who looked to be concerned about his knees at times, will start with a charity event on Necker Island, which is owned by Virginbnaire Richard Branson.
“It is great to be there in the end,” said Nadal. “It will be a good holiday for me, but at the same time working for my charity foundation. That’s an important thing for me to do when I have the chance.”
The world number one Spaniard then pushes on to South America, duplicating the 2012 off-season tour that netted fellow global tennis icon Roger Federer a reported 14mn dollars for a few days of play last December.
However, that move may have ended up compromising his 2013 season, in which he won just a single title and fell out of the top five.
Federer, while admitting he was tempted to repeat the tour, later decided to devote his off-season to a training block in the hope of improving after his worst season since 2002.
“I’m gonna be playing a few exhibitions in South America,” said Nadal. “I’m gonna combine the matches with a little bit of tourism. That gives me the chance to be a little bit with my people, at the same time to visit people that are very difficult to visit for me around the world. I am going to enjoy that situation.”
With the state of his knees always a question mark, Nadal is hoping to make the best of his time on court. He finally returns to Spain in late November for a medical check-up on the joints that kept him from the courts for seven months in 2012-13 before clinching 10 titles this season.
He then flies to Abu Dhabi the day after Christmas to join Djokovic and likely Andy Murray in another well-paid hit-out prior to the mid-January’s start of the Australian Open.
“I am not gonna have the chance to work a lot at home because after these few weeks in South America, I’m gonna rest for a while, probably until the 9th or 10th of December,” said the 13-time grand slam winner.
“I know I’m going to arrive in Abu Dhabi and [ATP event in] Doha in probably not the best physical and tennis condition. The period of time I’m gonna have to work will be very short. I really hope that both events in Abu Dhabi and Doha give me a chance to prepare myself 100% to be ready for the first Grand Slam of the season.”
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