Rafael Nadal has shown signs of progress from a wrist injury in recent practice sessions, but the King of Clay admitted he is still undecided over his participation at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.
Nadal's practice session with world No. 2 Andy Murray has generated plenty of positivity in the Spaniard's quest for a second Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro this coming weekend. In a video posted by a fan on Instagram, Nadal can be seen effectively using his left wrist, which he injured at Roland Garros, forcing him to withdraw mid-event and skip Wimbledon last month.
However, despite showing good chances of competing in full health at the Olympics, Nadal has insisted he would not be at his "best level" and would mull over his final decision after testing his form ahead of the quadrennial event.
"I will not be at the best level in any of the categories" Nadal said, reports Reuters. "I have not competed for two months and I have not trained a lot."
"I will train a few days here to see what I can do and then decide what is best, to be more positive for me and the team."
Reports about Nadal possibly skipping the singles competition surfaced after the 14-time Grand Slam winner admitted himself he may not be "100 percent" competing at the Olympic Games, citing the lack of competitive matches for more than two months due to the injury. But Nadal's long-time coach and uncle Toni Nadal is confident things would go well for Rafa come the Rio Olympics.
"There are doubts about [Rafa's] game and it's normal. These are the usual doubts we've always had after any layoff. When he competes Rafa wants to do well," Toni told Cadena Ser.
"Obviously it won't be easy but I am always confident that things go well. If we are a little bit lucky with the draw and we can go step by step to the best level, things can go well."
Nadal has started practicing at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, with fellow Spaniard David Ferrer. It is unclear whether Nadal has fully recovered from his latest setback, but it is certain any remaining setback would not do Nadal well participating at the Olympic Games.