Nadal Not Predicting Return Date

Eleven-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal has refused to put a timeframe on his return from a knee injury which forced him out of the US Open earlier this month.

The 26-year-old Spaniard appears likely to miss the Davis Cup final and season-ending ATP World Tour finals in November, although there have been some suggestions he could be back in time for next January’s Australian Open.

However, Nadal said earlier in the week he simply couldn’t reveal when he’d return because it’s a day-to-day prospect.

“All that is in my mind is to keep working hard to come back,” Nadal said.

“I cannot think about the future because it’s not like if you break your arm and you know you will have a few weeks like this, then a few weeks like that and then you are back.”

He added: “This is a day-by-day thing. I have checks every day to see how I’m improving. I can’t predict what will happen.”

However, Nadal had said he would ideally like to return in January ahead of the Australian Open.

“I hope you see me in Australia. That is the biggest goal for me, to come back just before then in Qatar, but I cannot say for sure it is going to happen,” he said.

“The only thing is to recover well. I want to be 100 per cent when I come back.”