Rafael Nadal of Spain suffered from various injury problems the last two ATP seasons that saw his ATP rankings drop all the way to World No. 10 before settling for World No. 5 at the year-end rankings. The Spaniard recently stated that he’s fully healthy for the next ATP season and ready for a bounce back year in 2016.

“I think it’s obvious that I did not have the best season possible, but I am number five in the world so actually it’s not a disaster,” Nadal said to reporters, via Agence France-Presse, in Manila, Philippines where he’s participating in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) event. “I don’t know if I’m going to win it [number one] back, [but] I’m working hard to create opportunities to compete for the best tournaments and I’m working so hard to try to make that happen.”

Nadal’s optimism comes after good performances in the most recent ATP tournaments. He made the final of the 2015 China Open where he lost to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, 6-2 6-2 and also the final of the 2015 Swiss Indoors Basel where he lost to rival Roger Federer, 6-3 5-7 6-3. Nadal also made the semifinals and quarterfinals of the 2015 Shanghai Masters and BNP Paris Masters where he lost to Jo Wilfried Tsonga, 6-4 0-6 7-5 and Stan Wawrinka, 7-6 (8) 7-6 (7), respectively.

At the season-ending tournament, the 2015 ATP World Tour Finals, Nadal made the final four where he lost to Djokovic, 3-6 3-6. Nadal won all of his round robin matches with victories over David Ferrer, 6-7 (2) 6-3 6-4, Andy Murray, 6-4 6-1 and Stan Wawrinka, 6-3 6-2.

In other interviews earlier in the season, Nadal stated that he is starting to regain the confidence back on the court and is starting to enjoy playing tennis again, something he did not do in recent months as he admitted to having battles with anxiety and that he struggled mentally.

In his latest visit to a foreign country, Nadal, who is in Manila for the first time in his tennis career, the “King of Clay” drew the biggest cheers from the local fans in the IPTL Manila leg. Nadal is part of the Indian Aces team, one of the squads that have seen action in the IPTL event.

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