Rafael Nadal will compete at the Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin after returning from injury, according to his coach Carlos Moya.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion suffered an abdominal injury at Wimbledon during the summer, which had a part to play in his early US Open exit in September.
Nadal has only played doubles alongside Roger Federer at the Laver Cup since, but according to Moya has been training well at home, and will be involved at the Paris Masters, which starts on October 31, to prepare for the ATP Finals in Turin.
“Before arriving in Turin, you have to play matches in Paris, which are similar,” Moya told Balearic television station IB3.
World No. 2 Nadal returned to Mallorca after his fourth round US Open loss to eventual semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe.
He then played the Laver Cup before welcoming his first born child. He has been back on the practice court to prepare for Paris, which is one of only two Masters events, along with Miami, that Nadal hasn’t won.
“He has not been able to win it, but he has achieved good results and has come close to doing so on several occasions,” Moya explained.
“We always have hope and illusion, because Rafael is competitive anywhere.”
Nadal has a chance to finish as year-end No. 1 depending on results over the next few weeks.
Nadal is enduring a similar situation he went through last year when he missed the second part of the year with a foot injury, before making a stunning comeback in 2022.
He said after his surprise US Open that he needed some time away to “fix things”.
If Nadal does play the ATP Finals that means the eighth-placed player in the Race to Turin standings will likely miss out. While the top eight in the race qualify for the ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic has also secured a spot due to winning a Grand Slam title this year, even though he is not in the top eight places.
