Rafael Nadal reveals 2019 schedule in full but makes major change
RAFAEL NADAL has stripped back his schedule in 2019 in a bid to rid his injury nightmare.
Nadal was riddled with injury problems this year which eventually cost him the year-end world No 1 trophy.
Novak Djokovic’s meteoric rise to top form allowed his to leapfrog the sidelined Spaniard to secure the honour.
Nadal sustained a knee injury at the US Open which eventually brought his season to a premature end, despite his best efforts to return.
In total, the world No 2 skipped Brisbane, Acapulco, Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris and the ATP Finals.
So the 32-year-old has now entered less competitions next year to avoid a similar outcome.
Nadal kicks-off his season in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship later this week.
He will face the winner of Kevin Anderson vs Hyeon Chung in his opening match.
It is then likely Nadal will come up against Djokovic in the final of the miniature event.
“Novak proved he can be the best and a very difficult opponent,” Nadal told The National ahead of the tournament.
“He managed to come back and he is always a very, very difficult player to play against and even more to beat.
“They are always very intense matches (when I play him) and he is a player that covers very well all angles of the court."
Nadal will then travel to Brisbane and Sydney as part of his preparation for the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal 2019 schedule
Abu Dhabi (exho)
Brisbane
Sydney (exho)
Australian Open
Acapulco
Indian Wells
Miami
Monte Carlo
Barcelona
Madrid
Rome
Roland Garros
Wimbledon
Montreal
Cincinnati
US Open
Laver Cup (exho)
Shanghai
Paris
ATP Finals (if he qualifies)
Davis Cup finals