Rafael Nadal is to make his comeback from injury at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition event in Abu Dhabi this week, in the hope he can get back to his best in time for next month's Australian Open.
Nadal has spent the last four months on the sidelines with a foot injury while he also struggled with back issues at the start of the year.
The 35-year-old Spaniard was knocked out at Roland Garros in the semi-finals before he was forced to pull out of Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the U.S. Open. He last competed in August at the Citi Open in Washington.
"I am feeling better, if not I will not be here. That's the goal, I know the comeback will not be easy," Nadal told reporters.
"It has been a very tough period of time for me honestly, so just being here is a great news for me, just enjoying the situation and I really hope the foot is going to get better and better, to be again at the way and at the level I want to be."