Nadal gearing up to make grand return

MADRID — Rafael Nadal is ready to return to tennis, confirming Tuesday that he'll play in an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month following a six-month break to recover from a knee injury.

Can't wait to get back on court in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month, the 11-time Grand Slam champion said on his Facebook page and Twitter account. I won the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in 2010 and 2011 — would love to get my hands on the trophy again this year!

The 26-year-old Nadal began practicing on a court in his hometown of Manacor on the island of Mallorca on Nov. 20 under the supervision of his uncle and coach Tony Nadal and a physiotherapist.

The Abu Dhabi tournament starts Dec. 27 and will feature a six-man field that includes top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Andy Murray of Britain.

While Nadal had long been scheduled to play in the event, he was cautious in a radio interview last week about how quickly he could return to full fitness after such a long layoff. Nadal has not played since a stunning second-round loss to 100th-ranked Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in June due to the partial tear of a tendon in his left knee.