Rafael Nadal, has arrived at the final masters 1000 event of the year in Paris. The Spaniard who took a break from tennis after his knee issues, is looking to get some practice in before his first match in Paris. Nadal said he is looking to take one step at a time, and not get into the thick of the action immediately.“I slow down a little bit the intensity of practice of course”, said Rafael Nadal. “I stopped for a while after the US Open so then I started to practice slowly, step by step. And that’s it. Here I am. Happy to be here”, he added.

“I just go day by day, no? I am happy to be here”, said Nadal. “I am having better feelings on court. I am practicing a little bit more every day. And, yeah, trying to improve the positive feelings. That’s all what I can say today, no.” Nadal has been out of action for over two months, which has allowed Novak Djokovic to close in on him in the ATP singles rankings. Nadal will look to defend the world number one crown, with only the ATP world tour finals remaining in the calendar.

“This city so special for me. So that’s little bit more motivation to be here”, said the Spaniard. “So, I’m just happy to be on court again and just happy to be practicing with the guys here on tour. And I’m just looking for the next practice. That’s all that I can say today”, said Nadal who was spotted alongside Grigor Dimitrov and Andre Agassi during his practice session.

Speaking about how he has been coping with his injury and long break from tennis, Nadal said-“It’s nothing new for me. It’s something that happened in my career a couple of times. So more or less, we know the process and we know the things that work good and don’t work for us. And we try to do our way with calm and being staying positive every day.”

“Knowing that the things are not changing very quick in this type of injuries. And that’s it. We know that. We take care about all the feelings. And we go day by day”, said Rafael Nadal. “I am not thinking about big improvements or big things. I am just thinking about small improvements, and that’s the goal.”

Nadal could meet Djokovic in the finals, while Roger Federer is yet to make up his mind on his decision to participate in the tournament.