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World No.1 Rafael Nadal has joined the field for an exciting new tennis event in the lead up to Australian Open 2018.
Tie Break Tens, which is effectively a tournament in a night, will make its Australian debut at Margaret Court Arena (MCA) on Wednesday 10 January boasting a stunning field. $CUT$

Nadal will join former world No.1 Novak Djokovic, three-time Slam winner and world No.9 Stan Wawrinka, Australia’s No.1 male Nick Kyrgios, former world No.1 and current Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt as the headline acts for the unique event in which a field of eight players compete in a knockout tournament for a $250,000 winner-take-all prize purse and the coveted Tie Break Tens trophy.

Nadal, who regretfully withdrew from the Brisbane International and FAST4 in Sydney because of the late start to his off-season preparation following his all-conquering return to World No.1 last year, has signed on to Tie Break Tens to help him get ready for the Australian Open.

“Tie Break Tens is a great concept and we will see and play some exciting matches,” Nadal said. “The field is fantastic and I expect some tough competition which will be great for the Aussie fans.” Each match is a super tie break to 10, which enables the entire event to be decided in one night.

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Carlos Moya discusses how Rafael Nadal will maintain momentum, form following sublime 2017

Rafael Nadal will land in Melbourne on January 4 to begin preparations for the Australian Open. Despite withdrawing from the Brisbane International Presented by Suncorp, the first ATP World Tour tournament of 2018, to recover from an exhausting 2017, the Emirates ATP Rankings No.1 plans to storm into this year's Australian Open with the same ambition and enthusiasm he showed in his run to the final last year. 
By Nadal's side will be fellow Spaniard and former world No.1 Carlos Moya, who made a successful addition to Nadal's team for the 2017 season. Being rested going into the first major tournament of the year is essential if Nadal is to repeat the success he achieved in 2017, according to Moya. In this interview with ATPWorldTour.com, Moya reviews his 2017 as a member of Team Nadal, and what his charge needs to do in 2018 to reach the heights he soared to in 2017.

ATPWorldTour.com: It seemed Rafa needed a rest going into this upcoming 2018 season. 
Carlos Moya: It's important to be fresh and rested if he's going to start the season off on the right foot. Rafa wants to be an even better version of himself this year. 
Nothing too serious in terms of injuries occurred last year but at the same time, nothing good comes from rushing things. That's why we want him to take his time returning to the court. There's no need to hurry matters. We know Rafa; he doesn't slow down often, whether in training or during a match. Nadal isn't the type of competitor to hit the brakes. For the team, then, the goal has been to convince Nadal that rushing a return to competitive play could lead to more discomfort and injuries -- both of which could derail our plans for a big year. He isn't a 20-year-old now; we have to take things step by step and be smart about his health and recuperation. 

ATPWorldTour.com: Ahead of his 2017 campaign, Nadal had an off-season of more than three months. The Spaniard won't have the benefit of an extended "preseason" going into 2018. Will that have an effect on his performances later in the season?
Moya: When a player reaches this point of his career, the time you spend training during the off-season doesn't matter all that much. Not everything that happened in 2017 was a result of the work we did in the weeks leading into the new year. We had a long preparation period ahead of 2017, that's true, but the things you work on then don't last throughout the year. We learned it's better to take small breaks throughout the course of the year, as we did after Australia, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. That made him fresh throughout the year. 
Of course, his knees are cause for concern; they limited his play the last two tournaments he entered. In past seasons, however, it might have been his state of mind or his attitude that gave out. He held those together to close out this season. His knees failed, but he was still playing at a very high level right up until the end.
 

ATPWorldTour.com: Playing fewer tournaments, is that an option?
Moya: Rafa played so many matches in 2017 because he won a lot of tournaments and reached the final in quite a few others. He was almost always playing deep into tournaments. He competed in 18 events and that isn't an exceedingly brutal schedule. Can we fit in more breaks? Yes, although it depends on our objectives as we go along. It's also difficult because of Nadal’s nature. Even now, he’s still very ambitious and wants to chase down everything, but at the same time he's starting to see that that isn't always possible. Could he have turned down London? Yes, but [the Nitto ATP Finals] trophy is the only major one he has yet to win. 

On December 29, young players of the Vicente Del Bosque Football Academy visited the Rafa Nadal Academy $CUT$

Source: deportebalear.com

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