"Not at my peak yet" says Rafael Nadal ahead of Toronto

Rafael Nadal returned to tennis after not competing for over a month at the Citi Open in Washington and there were some expected growing pains. Nadal spoke about what prompted him to take a lengthy break and it was a foot issue that caused him continuous pain. Nadal admitted he did not play tennis for 20 days before slowly getting back to practice.

In Washington, he showed some good signs but also a level that is far off his best. He spoke about his mentality in the next few weeks:

“I am going day by day. The main thing is to try and feel I am improving and feel I am playing better and better, which is the goal at this tournament. I need to have a couple of weeks with less pain to have confidence again with my movement. I am coming here to try and win, but also to keep feeling positive with my foot."

For Nadal getting into peak form in time for the US Open is paramount as he himself admitted that he was not at his peak yet. It was clearly visible in Washington where Lloyd Harris upset Nadal. He said:

“I am not at my peak yet, but I have been practising better than I played in Washington, so I am excited to play here. Hopefully, I will be able to compete well.”

Nadal has a 1st round BYE at the National Bank Open in Toronto but a rematch against Lloyd Harris is on the menu as the South-African won his 1st round match.