Rafael Nadal quits hospital after appendix operation

Madrid: Rafael Nadal was all smiles Wednesday saying he felt fine as he left the Barcelona hospital where he underwent appendix surgery earlier this week.

"Everything went well. It was a simple, commonplace operation," said Nadal, who went under the knife on Monday. 

"I`m doing fine," he reassured reporters

But the 14 time Grand Slam winner would only answer "when I`m better" on questions concerning a return to the court. The Mallorcan said before surgery on Monday he would need five weeks to recover.

Nadal ended his season after a quarter-final loss at the Swiss Indoors last month, missing last week`s Paris Masters and the season-closing World Tour Finals starting Sunday in London.

The Spaniard hopes to be fully fit again in time for teh first of next year`s four Grand Slam events - the Australian Open which starts in Melbourne in mid-January