Nadal downplays chances of finishing as year-end No.1

Madrid May 4 (IANS) Spain s Rafael Nadal the world s top-ranked tennis player has said that despite a torrid start to his clay-court campaign it was unlikely he would be able to overcome an injury hiatus earlier in the season and finish as tennis year-end No.1 for the fifth time.

Nadal in an interview with Efe here on Thursday made the remarks ahead of the start of next week s Madrid Open where he will try to win a third straight clay court tournament in 2018.

"I ve given away (due to injuries) three months of the year " Nadal said referring to his time away from the ATP World Tour from late January when he retired in the fifth set of his quarter-final match against Croatia s Marin Cilic at the Australian Open due to a hip injury until the start of the Monte-Carlo Masters in mid-April.

"Not playing for three months and finishing No.1 in the world I d say it s not impossible but it s very unlikely " the 16-time Grand Slam champion said at a Kia Motors event reports Efe.

Nadal has a slim lead in the ATP rankings over arch-rival and world No.2 Roger Federer although the 36-year-old Swiss great has opted to reduce wear-and-tear on his body by skipping the entire clay court season for the second straight year.

The 31-year-old Spaniard did not drop a set in winning two Davis Cup matches in early April and capturing titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open -- each for the 11th time -- and now has an Open Era-record streak of 46 consecutive sets won on clay dating back to last year s French Open.

"I m happy about how things are going especially after a difficult start to the season with injuries. Both in Davis Cup and in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona things turned out as well as possible " the Kia global ambassador said.

Although he acknowledged that his biggest short-term goal was to increase his record haul of French Open titles to 11 he said the Madrid Open -- a key tune-up for Roland Garros which starts later this month -- was "one of the year s most important tournaments."

"Playing at home is special. My relationship with the crowd in Spain is very special. They totally support you and I m very thankful for that " the Iberian nation s greatest-ever tennis star said.

Nadal also confirmed that healthpermitting he would be available for Spain s away Davis Cup semi-final tie in September against France saying he had given his word to captain Sergi Bruguera.

--IANS
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