Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will compete at the World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi at the start of 2015.
The Spaniard endured an injury-hit 2014, which ended with him having to withdraw from the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London to have surgery to remove his appendix.
However, despite concerns that he may not be fit enough to begin the new campaign, the 28-year-old has revealed that his intention is to play at the tournament in the Middle East, which gets underway on January 1.
"It's unfortunate that I had to miss the end of this season, but the time off will allow me to become even more focused on what I want to accomplish in 2015," said the world number three.
"I have missed a couple of opportunities to play big, competitive matches now so playing in Abu Dhabi in January for me is really important."
Nadal will be joined at the six-man event by Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stanislas Wawrinka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils.
Liam Apicella
