Rafael Nadal insisted on Friday that his presence at the ATP Finals starting on Sunday is proof enough that he feels his problem right knee is primed for action at the eight-man year-end event.
“I’m here to play play my best, if I didn’t think I was ready I would not be here,” the world number one said more than 48 hours before his group start late Monday against Belgian David Goffin.
Nadal has qualified for 13 consecutive year-ennders but has never won the event, losing finals in 2010 and 2013.
“I’ve been working to try and get ready,” he said. “My feeling today is that I’m going to play, But I cannot predict the next days, but I have my chances to play this event.”
Nadal’s knee bothered him last month in Shanghai as he lost the final to number two Roger Federer, seeded second behind the Spaniard at the O2 arena in east London.
Nadal then withdrew as a precaution from the Basel event, won at home by Federer, before being forced to pull out last week in Paris prior to a quarter-final due to knee pain. He had been undergoing treatment in Spain before arriving in London.
Goffin and Nadal also meet Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov in the Pete Sampras Group while the Boris Becker Group contains Federer, Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic and Jack Sock.
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