Tennis news - Rafael Nadal confirms intention to play ATP Finals in London despite injury

The Spaniard, who returned to the top of the ATP world rankings on Monday, took to Twitter to signal his plans to fans on Tuesday.

The Mallorcan was forced to withdraw from his Paris Masters semi-final with Canada's Denis Shapovalov with an abdominal strain on Saturday in what he described as a "super sad moment".

But despite that late-season setback, he still believes he has a chance of competing in London and will travel to the UK 'on Thursday or Friday' to continue his preparations.

"Despite having a small strain in the right abdominal, I will travel to London," he said in the post.

Nadal qualified for the season-ending tournament way back on July 11, but after his withdrawal in Paris last week his status was very uncertain. While his appearance is still not guaranteed, it sounds as though he could well compete.

The 33-year-old had to end last season prematurely due to injury, but in 2019 he has recorded a 51-6 match record and won two Grand Slams.

Nadal has won four titles in total this season: a ninth Rome Masters crown; a 35th ATP Masters 1000 trophy at the Montreal Masters; his 12th Roland Garros triumph; plus a fourth US Open to round off the Slams in style.

The ATP Finals get underway on Sunday, November 10 with the final taking place on Sunday, November 17.