Rafael Nadal vows to stay humble during comeback on court

Washington: Rafael Nadal has insisted he would stay humble and cautious when he makes his long-awaited comeback from injury on court in a tournament in Chile this week.

The tennis star has not played a competitive match since losing in the second round at Wimbledon last June due to knee problems, and he is wary of pushing himself too hard in his first appearance at the Vina del Mar Open. Nadal said he would have to take his comeback slowly and stay humble to know that things won`t be as good as they were before his injury, adding he needs to be patient. The Spaniard further said he needs weeks of working on the circuit, adding this is his first week and he doesn’t think the goals are the same that the ones he will have in two more months. Nadal is hoping to defend his French Open title yet again, aiming for an unprecedented eighth crown in Paris, but the Spaniard`s 2013 preparations were ruined by a preseason illness that forced him to miss last month`s Australian Open. The 11-times Grand Slam champion then decided the skip the hard-court event and go straight to his favoured clay surface, on which he will also play in a Brazilian tournament after Chile. Nadal said he hopes the tournament will help him to get the feeling he needs to add week after week after a long period without competition, adding results are the least important thing right now. Nadal said if his knew doesn’t hurt then he would have no more, adding he has had more serious injuries than this one in past but every time he has made a strong comeback. ANI