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Rafael Nadal hopes he will soon be ready to transfer his best form from the practice court to competitive action after reaching the second round of the ATP China Open.
Nadal defeated local wildcard Di Wu 6-4 6-4 in Beijing on Tuesday, his first match on tour since exiting the US Open at the hands of Fabio Fognini in the round of 32 last month.
The former world number one, who will face Vasek Pospisil in the next round, has struggled for both form and fitness in recent years, with quarter-final defeats at the Australian Open and French Open his best grand-slam results in 2015.
The 29-year-old has won only three tournaments - the Argentina Open, Stuttgart Open and German Open - this year, leaving him seventh in the world rankings and vulnerable to missing the ATP World Tour Finals in London next month, which will be contested by the best eight players on the circuit.
However, the 14-time grand slam champion believes he could soon rediscover the secret that previously made him such a force to be reckoned with.
“I am practicing better than what I am competing,” Nadal said.
“The last couple months I am doing the things much better on the practice (court), so (there) remains a little bit more to compete better.
“With the confidence of the practice … the level of tennis is going to be there sooner or later. I am working a lot to make that happen. I think I’m closer to that.”
While Nadal continues to search for his elusive best, there were no such concerns for reigning champion Novak Djokovic, who made an authoritative return to action following his triumph at Flushing Meadows.
The Serbian dispatched Italian Simone Bolelli 6-1 6-1 to book a meeting with Ze Zhang in the second round as he seeks to retain his China Open title.
“I thought I played on a very high level considering it’s my first official match after the US Open,” he said.
“I came out with a great intensity, played some of my best tennis on this court, and managed to win against a player that I thought was playing well.”
