Rafael Nadal is showing signs of returning to form. In the final of the Capitala exhibition tournament, Nadal defeated Robin Soderling 7-6 (3), 7-5 to kick off the new season and prove he’s tired of the criticism.
From FOXSports.com:
Both players held serve throughout the first set before the second-ranked Spaniard won the tiebreaker. Nadal then broke decisively in the sixth game of the second set at Zayed Sports City.
Soderling ended Nadal’s 31-game unbeaten run on clay at the French Open last year and beat him again at the season-sending ATP Tour World Finals in London.
Roger Federer defeated David Ferrer of Spain 6-1, 7-5 for third place.
Nadal said overtaking Federer was not his main focus for 2010.
“Everybody wants the No. 1 ranking, but, believe me, for me it is not my goal for this year,” the Spaniard said. “To play competitively throughout and win as many tournaments as I can, that is my goal. To be happy playing, to be healthy and to play like I have played over the last two days.”
Nadal will play in next week’s Qatar Open, the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 and the ABN AMRO starting Feb. 8 in the Netherlands before taking a break. He injured both knees and his abdomen last season, missing Wimbledon among other tournaments.
While Roger Federer’s dominance last year was exciting, Nadal’s struggles hurt the sport. If he can learn to take care of his knees, Nadal will prolong his career and break plenty of notable records.
