Rafael Nadal surfaced on Thursday after nearly six weeks away from tennis, with the world number two saying he’s over his epic late January finals loss at the Australian Open to Novak Djokovic.
Nadal is seeded second behind his Serb rival as the Indian Wells Masters got underway, with all seeds given byes and weekend starts at the desert Tennis Garden.
Nadal, loser of his last seven finals against Djokovic, said that after his pre—announced absence from the courts, he’s eager to get back into competition.
But the Spaniard refused to live in the past after his six-hour, five-set defeat by Djokovic. He is buoyed by the fact that nothing is permanent in tennis — and life. “Djokovic has brought tennis to another level,” said Nadal, who last beat number one Djokovic in November 2010, in London. “But no one is forever.
“One player is there for while, then comes one who is better,” said the ten-time Grand Slam champion.
“In two years, five years, it’s gonna’ happen to him, that is history and that is nature. It’s a beautiful part of the game. The victories for everyone have an end.” He added that trying to beat Djokovic again does not drive his career.
“I want to improve for me, not to beat someone. I want to improve my level. If that’s enough to beat Djokovic, fantastic. If not I’ll keep working.
“I don’t think about Novak, I think about myself. I don’t have a spirit of revenge or obsession.” Nadal said he spent his down time at home on Mallorca, training as usual in between relaxing and visiting family and friends in the close-knit island community.
“It’s important to have periods off to work, but you still (have) time to see the results,” said the Spaniard. “The most important part of the season is coming up for me right through Wimbledon. And this is also an Olympic year.
“This is the moment when I have to be ready. Hopefully my work helped me mentally and physically for this tough part of the season.”
Nadal ducked the issue as he was informed of Roger Federer’s criticism of time serial wasting by some players between points, a sin to which Nadal has half-admitted guilt. “Rules are there, but you cannot expect to rest only 20 seconds after crazy rallies — I’m not ready to do that.
“If the umpire gives the warning, the players have to accept it. The rule is there but everyone understands it in different ways. It depends on how the match goes.”
