Nadal ‘hopes’ to be fit for ATP Finals

RafaelNadal said yesterday he “hopes” to be ready for his opening match atthe ATP Finals but admitted he has not been training at 100 per centafter an injury scare. The 16-time Grand Slam champion pulled out ofthe Paris Masters last week with a knee problem, sparking fears that hewould miss the season-ending finale in London. When asked whetherhis knee would be ready for his first match against Belgium’s DavidGoffin on Monday, the Spaniard told a pre-tournament press conference“I’ll try my best,” but admitted he had been wary during practice inrecent days.“I hope. And if I didn’t believe I can be ready, for me,I wouldn’t be here,” added the world number one. “I’m working everyday, practising well and just trying to be ready for the action.” Hesaid it was impossible to predict whether his knee would be close toits best by the time of next week’s final, adding that he was focusingon each day.“You cannot predict what’s going to happen,” he said.“You work every day without thinking too much about what’s going to happen.” Nadal insisted he had made no schedule demands on the organisers to gain additional time to recuperate from his injury.“I didn’t have any request. I didn’t ask anything,” he said.TheSpaniard, who has never won the ATP Finals, said it was satisfying tobe back in London for the year-end event after he missed out last year.Nadalfaces Goffin on Monday evening in the last of the first batch ofmatches. Two groups of four players play in a round-robin format beforesemi-finals and a final.Nadal is guaranteed to end the year as worldnumber one, irrespective of his performance at the finals, which beginon Sunday and end on November 19.On the prospect of playing Federer in the final, Nadal said: “It would be great to finish the year playing against him again.”