Rafael Nadal will be fully fit and ready to challenge Roger Federer at the ATP Finals in London as he looks for his first season-ending title, according to his coach Carlos Moya.
The Spaniard was included in Wednesday’s draw, and was picked out alongside David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov in the Pete Sampras Group.
Having come up short in the final on two occasions in the past, losing to Federer in 2010 and Novak Djokovic in 2013, the 31-year-old has made no secret of his desire to lift the title for the first time in 2017.
However, there were serious concerns about his participation at the O2 in London as he pulled out of the Paris Masters last week with a knee injury that saw him struggle in the Shanghai Masters final, while also skipping Basel.
Despite his ongoing knee troubles, his coach and former world No. 1 Moya insists the current top-ranked player will be fit and firing at the ATP Finals.
‘Rafa is fine, the knee is okay. He stopped just to take no risks,’ Moya said at the Next Gen Finals in Milan.
‘Rafa will be competitive in London because it’s the only big tournament he hasn’t won.’
Moya also revealed he was not surprised by Nadal’s incredible season, that has seen him return to world No. 1.
Nadal had not won a Grand Slam since 2014 and had to end last year early due to a wrist problem, but Moya believes his mental strength made it inevitable he would sit atop of the rankings once more.
‘I expected Rafa to be number one again,’ he added. I”m not surprised because I’ve seen him training as usual with lots of passion.
‘His tennis and his mind has taken him to number one.’
Federer, meanwhile, will take on Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic and Jack Sock in the Boris Becker Group and kicks off against America’s Sock on Sunday afternoon.
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