Indian tennis great Mahesh Bhupathi is thrilled to have Rafael Nadal in his team at the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) for the next two seasons.

Bhupathi, who owns ITPL franchise team Indian Aces, said it is great to have the “King of Clay” on his team following the signing of Roger Federer in the inaugural season.

“We know how big and effective player he has been and is in the court,” Bhupathi said, reports India TV News. “After the New Delhi crowd witnessed Federer and Novak Djokovic in the inaugural season, this year they will get to see Nadal face off against Federer.”

Nadal is coming off a quarterfinal exit at the BNP Paribas Masters prior to back-to-back finals appearance at the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the Swiss Indoors in Basel. But despite two consecutive losses against Djokovic and Federer in the previous tournaments, Nadal has been showing a glimpse of his old-best form.

“The story now is different, no? I’m enjoying on the court,” Nadal said, reports The National. “I don’t have the nerves I had during the season.”

Nadal has struggled in the first eight months of the year, losing to the likes of Michael Berrer, Alexandra Dolgopolov, and Dustin Brown on his favourite clay surface. The 14-time Grand Slam winner also lost twice to Italian Fabio Fognini at Rio de Janeiro and Barcelona, prior to being eliminated by the latter in the third round of the US Open.

But as the season draws to an end, Nadal seems to regain his composure and overcome his mental challenges on the court. The fact that his career rival Roger Federer acknowledged that playing the Spaniard at 34 years of age is “fantastic” makes a testament of how Nadal is climbing back as a serious contender.

Nadal joins Agnieszka Radwaska, Gael Monfils, Sania Mirza, Ivan Dodig, Bopanna, and Fabrice Santoro in the seven-man Indian Aces squad that will take on the other four franchises Philippine Mavericks, UAE Royals, Singapore Slammers, and the newly-joined Japan Warriors. The league will be held from Dec. 2-20 in Kobe, Manila, New Delhi, Dubai, and Singapore.

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