Nadal hoping to bag fourth title in Madrid amid struggles to bounce back from injury

Johannesburg: Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal is hoping to bag the fourth title at home in the Madrid Masters as he struggles to bounce back from a back injury and searches for his first title on the European clay this season.

The World No. 1 said that Spain is his country and every time he plays in any tournament there it is something special, adding that the crowd always makes a big difference there. According to Sport24, Nadal has struggled so far this year to bounce back from a back injury that hampered him in losing the Australian Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka in January and has also suffered surprise defeats to compatriots David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open respectively in recent weeks. The 13-time Grand Slam champion is hoping to recapture his best form and a fourth title in Madrid with his home advantage, the report added. However, if Nadal fails to fails to reach the quarter-finals this week in Madrid and if Novak Djokovic goes on to win for the second time in Madrid, the Spaniard could be dethroned at the top of the world rankings by the Serb , the report further added.