After a month-long hiatus, Rafael Nadal is back.
The 16-time Grand Slam champion takes his place in the Acapulco field as the top seed, but no longer the world No.1 – in his injury-induced absence, Roger Federer returned to the top ranking for the first time since 2012.
Asked if he was excited to embark on a battle with his Swiss rival for the No.1 ranking throughout the year, Nadal insisted he wasn’t focusing on such a quest.
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“I’m not gonna fight for that. I’m gonna do my calendar, and then we’ll see what’s going on,” he told atpworldtour.com.
“It’s great and incredible to see him (Federer) back to No.1. He did so well for the last year, so he deserves it.”
Nadal has been sidelined since retiring with a hip injury from his Australian Open quarterfinal against Marin Cilic.
The Spaniard said he was back to full health as he prepares for his latest campaign in Acapulco, where he was runner-up to Sam Querrey in 2017.
“I feel recovered from what happened in Melbourne. It’s taken a couple of weeks of rest and working hard on the rehabilitation,” Nadal said.
“Last week I started practising hard again, and I feel ready.”
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