MADRID, Oct 13: World number two Rafael Nadal is aiming to use next week’s Madrid Masters tournament to reignite his season ready for an end-of-year flourish at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.

The 21-year-old has not played competitively since losing to fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the last 16 of the US Open on Sept 4, deciding to take time off to recover from a bout of tendinitis in his left knee.

Although he has not won a tournament since July, Nadal is hoping to recapture his early season form on his return to action in front of the partisan fans in the Spanish capital.

“I’ve done all I can to ensure I’m in top shape but I’ve had a month and a half when I haven’t been able to do anything and it is here in Madrid where I will be able to see whether or not I’m in condition to compete at 100 percent,” Nadal told reporters this week after a training session at the Madrid Arena.

“I felt pretty good and had no pain. I will be training the hardest since I played in US Open.”

But Nadal, who got the better of Croatian Ivan Ljubicic in an epic struggle to win in Madrid two years ago, will have a difficult task on his hands if he is to become the first man to take the title on two occasions.—Reuters