FILE PHOTO: Spain’s Rafael Nadal during practice. Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Rafa Nadal will return to competition at next week’s Paris Masters before taking his place at the season-ending ATP Finals, coach Carlos Moya said.
Nadal has struggled with injuries this year, capturing his 14th French Open title while playing with pain-killing injections to deal with a chronic foot injury and pulling out of Wimbledon due to an abdominal problem.
Following his defeat to Frances Tiafoe at the U.S. Open in September he said he needed to “fix things” and was unsure about when he would play again.
The Spaniard, who has won a men’s record 22 Grand Slam titles, partnered Roger Federer in a doubles match at the Laver Cup last month before pulling out of the tournament.
He also took time off for the birth of his first child with wife Mery Perello on Oct. 8.
Moya confirmed that Nadal would use the Masters 1000 event in Bercy, which the world number two has never won, as part of his preparations for the ATP’s finale in Turin from Nov. 13-20.
“Before arriving in Turin, you have to play matches in Paris, which are similar,” Moya told IB3 TV.
“Rafa is competitive wherever he is and we go with hope and illusion.”