Nadal is set to meet Zverev this weekend (Picture: EPA)

Rafael Nadal is still short of full fitness as he gears up to make his return to competitive tennis on Friday, where Spain will take on Germany in the Davis Cup.

The world No. 1 has not played a match since hobbling out of his Australian Open quarter-final clash with Marin Cilic.

A hip problem ruled him out of events in Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami but despite briefly losing the No. 1 ranking to Roger Federer, back-to-back defeats for the Swiss saw Nadal return to the top of the ATP leaderboard.

Away from main ATP Tour action, Nadal will compete for his country in the Davis Cup – a competition in which he has won his last 22 singles matches – taking on Philipp Kohlschreiber in the singles on his favoured surface on Friday.




‘It’s been a tough few months,’ the 16-time Grand Slam champion said.

‘But I am excited to be back and hopefully it will be a positive week for me.’

Nadal is back in Davis Cup action (Picture: EPA/EFE)

Nadal’s head coach Carlos Moya was quick to lower expectations for the clash in Valencia and insists that the Spaniard is short of match fitness.

‘He is not at 100% yet,’ Moya said.

‘But if he can win a match or two, it can help him.’

In the other singles tie, David Ferrer takes on Alexander Zverev, with the latter primed to meet Nadal in a mouth-watering rubber on Sunday.