Superstar Nadal's return to tennis remains unclear

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal said Thursday that he still does not know when he will play tennis again.

"I work a lot every day, I follow a specific plan with a marked roadmap and with very clear objectives," Nadal said at a news conference.

"I will not say what those objectives are, because there are always things that I can't control one hundred percent. But inside my head, I'm clear on what my objectives are and I trust that things will follow a positive course," he added.

After a semifinal loss to Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic at the French Open in June, Nadal did not make an appearance until he played at Washington's Citi Open in August.

Then the Spaniard was forced to cut his 2021 season short after suffering a foot injury in the same month.

The 35-year-old has won 13 French Open titles, four at the US Open, two at Wimbledon, an Australian Open as well as a gold medal at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.