Rafael Nadal believes he is getting back to his old-elite level of tennis play that won him 14 Grand Slam titles in his 11-year career.
Nadal told the India Times that he feels how he feels "much better towards the end of the year," claiming that he is getting back to his level of play.
"I have already had a long career and it could be difficult to point at one or two challenges - probably to overcome injuries has been one of my biggest challenges but never comparable to ones on court," Nadal said.
"You need to be fit to play - but once that happens, the challenges on court are particularly special."
Nadal has had a woeful season this year, not winning any major title for the first time in his tennis career.
But ever since his early exit at the US Open, Nadal showed a glimpse of his elite-form. He reached the final rounds at the China Open and the Swiss Indoors, but was defeated by world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, respectively.
Nadal also showed his composure at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he won all of his round robin matches against the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray before being eliminated in the semifinal round by Djokovic.
ESPN's Greg Garber and Melissa Isaacson predicted that Nadal could win a Grand Slam in 2016, considering how he has played well in the last three tournaments he joined.
Meanwhile, former world No. 1 Mats Wilander also thinks Nadal is getting back in shape. But the Swedish tennis player admitted it would be a challenge for the 14-time Grand Slam winner, with Djokovic not expected to slack off next season.
"Is he going to beat Novak Djokovic in a tennis match again?" Wilander said, reports Tennis World USA. "That's the big question, because really he's the person who he has to figure it out."