Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning a point during his men's singles match against Peter Gojowczyk of Germany at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic
Nadal, who recently underwent laparoscopic appendectomy, is at the ninth place with $44.5 million. In the 2014 season, Nadal has won four titles and took home more than $6 million prize money. In June, he won his ninth French Open title. Nadal has current deals with Nike, Babolat, Mapfre, Kia Motors, Poker Stars, Mueller, and more. Reuters

Rafael Nadal's 2014 season has been limited because of the string of injuries that he suffered. Despite not being able to play in tournaments as much as he would have wanted, Nadal still finished the season strongly by ranking third in the world. Going into the next season, Nadal has revealed that his main goal is to be happy.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sport 360 ahead of his participation at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, Nadal said that happiness is his personal goal in 2015. The pursuit of happiness may seem like a realistic goal for Nadal.

Even when things don't go the way as planned or as people would have wanted them to turn out, happiness is just right around the corner. As for Nadal, he wants to feel good now as he goes after his other targets in 2015.

"I have much more that I ever dreamed to have in terms of career, in terms of life," Nadal said. "Tennis is a very crucial part of my life today but life is much more important than tennis in general."

Nadal, who recently said that being World No. 1 is no longer an objective for him, also admitted in the interview how the 2014 season had been tough for him. According to Nadal, the 2014 season was a negative season in terms of results and mentality.

The 28-year-old Mallorca native has won four titles in 2014, including his ninth French Open trophy. However, the year 2014 also saw Nadal lost in the other three major Grand Slam tournaments including the Australian Open where he suffered back problems and the Wimbledon where he had a wrist injury. As a result of the wrist injury he nursed at the Wimbledon, Nadal had to pull out of the U.S. Open too. Nadal also suffered appendicitis in late October, which made him miss the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. The World No. 3 said that it was hard to accept the fact that he was not able to compete in as many tournaments as he would have hoped for.

Nadal may have had a number of physical hurdles in 2014, but he said that he doesn't really let those career injuries frustrate him. He said that he is just happy that he has his family and friends that constantly support him. He added that he looks on the brighter side of things and count his blessings when trials arise.

Nadal is currently in Abu Dhabi for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. It is his first tournament since undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy in November. He is joined by other top-ranked players Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka. Prior the first match, the participating players paid a visit to Al Maryah Island, which is UAE's capital Central Business District. Nadal will play against Murray, who defeated Feliciano Lopez, in the semifinals match on Jan. 2.

To reach the author of this article, email r.corpuz@ibtimes.com.au.