Rafael Nadal is delighted with the speed of his comeback after reaching the Indian Wells final just weeks after returning to the tour from injury.
Nadal returned to competitive tennis at the start of March to compete for Spain in the Davis Cup. Some wondered how the world number one would fare against an elite field in Indian Wells after five weeks out of action.
However, while he has yet to find his highest level, Nadal has still managed to progress to the BNP Paribas Open final for the third time and with his record in big finals, it will take another sensational performance from Novak Djokovic to prevent him claiming a hat-trick of Indian Wells titles.
“Coming back after one month and a few more days outside of competition, to come back and play a final another time is fantastic news for me,” Nadal said. “It's a lot of points, and for me is really, really important this coming back. Winning matches like today is how you can come back to your highest level.”
Nadal has played Djokovic twice before in Indian Wells, beating him 6-2, 7-5 in the 2007 final but losing 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals the following year.
